The OGBL president Nora Back should not lack assertiveness and enthusiasm for her work, otherwise she would hardly have been the first woman to head the country's largest trade union. Prior to that, the trade union scene was considered a male-only domain.
Nora Back joined the Onofhängege Gewerkschaftsbond Lëtzebuerg (OGBL) in her mid-20s, where she quickly earned her first spurs as central secretary of the health and social care professional syndicate, which has a large number of members. In December 2019, she was elected as the new OGBL chair with 97.5 percent of the vote, having taken over as general secretary a year and a half earlier. The 43-year-old, who is also president of the Chamber of employees (CSL), was born in Esch/Alzette and is a trained occupational psychologist. The interview took place on the premises of the CSL in Bonnevoie.
Lëtzebuerger Journal: What is it like being the only woman among all the men? Don't you sometimes feel like an exotic in the harsh trade union world? After all, besides you, there is only Syprolux president Mylène Bianchi here.
Nora Back: That only applies to the presidential posts. But we also have other women in the union, all strong women, and also at leadership level. So I'm not alone among men. What I notice, however, and what frightens me, is when I look around the room during a tripartite meeting, for example, or in the economic and social council, and I see almost only men there. There is still a lot to change.
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