Paul Rechsteiner

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Paul Rechsteiner (2015)

Paul Rechsteiner (born August 26, 1952 in St. Gallen ; resident in Appenzell ) is a Swiss lawyer , politician ( SP ) and trade unionist . He was a member of the National Council from 1986 to 2011 and has been a Councilor of States of the Canton of St. Gallen since 2011 . From 1998 to 2018 he chaired the Swiss Confederation of Trade Unions .

Life

Rechsteiner studied law at the Universities of Freiburg and Berlin and graduated in 1975 with a licentiate . In 1977 he was admitted to the bar of the Canton of St. Gallen. Since 1980 he has been working as a lawyer in a law firm he founded in St. Gallen.

Rechsteiner is married.

politics

Career

Rechsteiner began his political career from 1977 to 1984 as a councilor (parliamentarian) of the city of St. Gallen. From 1984 to 1986 he was a member of the Grand Council of the Canton of St. Gallen. From 1986 to 2011 he was a member of the National Council, most recently as senior official . As a National Councilor, Rechsteiner sat for many years in the Commission for Social Security and Health (SGK-NR) as well as in the Commission for Economy and Taxes (WAK-NR). In 2011 he was elected to the Council of States - in the second ballot against the then SVP party president Toni Brunner - and confirmed in 2015 and 2019 .

Rechsteiner was President of the Swiss Confederation of Trade Unions from 1998 until his resignation at the end of November 2018. Pierre-Yves Maillard was elected as his successor .

Positions

In 2008, Rechsteiner was quoted in the media as a committee member of the federal popular initiative “for a flexible AHV age”. He described neoliberalism as "economically failed, morally bankrupt and a threat to democracy" and criticized the 68 billion rescue package for the major bank UBS , campaigning for a yes to the later failed popular initiative. He advocated the continuation of the free movement of persons and its extension to Romania and Bulgaria , describes the EU issue as not an easy subject, which is why he advocates a step-by-step approach to the European Union.

Further commitment

Rechsteiner is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Paul Grüninger Foundation. In 2005 he was awarded the Fischhof Prize , which is awarded by the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA) and the Society for Minorities in Switzerland (GMS).

literature

Web links

Commons : Paul Rechsteiner  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Pierre-Yves Maillard is the new SGB President. SGB, December 1, 2018.
  2. Demonstration paralyzes Zurich's Paradeplatz. In: Tages-Anzeiger . November 15, 2008.
  3. ^ Paul Rechsteiner: Financial Crisis. In front of everyone. In: The weekly newspaper . 42/2008 of October 16, 2008.
  4. Christof Moser, Markus Somm : "The fight must start again" In: Die Weltwoche . 21/2005.
  5. ^ Winner of the Fischhof Prize 2005. Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism (GRA), accessed on October 25, 2018 .