BWI European Youth Committee Chair Jakob Wagner is new BYGGNADS Secretary

The BWI Youth is proudly celebrating the election of BWI European Youth Committee Chair and BWI International Youth Committee member Jakob Wagner as the new secretary of the Swedish Building Workers’ Union (BYGGNADS). 

Jakob Wagner was a rank-and-file member of BYGGNADS who worked as a sheet metal worker. He worked as the Education and Youth Officer and recently got a position as Ombudsman at the Byggnads union office. He is one of the leading actors in BWI’s youth structures in identifying regional and global activities, strategies and actions of the BWI youth. 

Wagner made a powerful speech at BYGGNADS Congress which focused on three topics: the crucial role of democratic structures to enhance union strength in fighting for workers’ rights with active engagement of members pushing leaders to go beyond; an education practice embracing a broader perspective of knowledge to build up members’ consciousness around activism terms; and the identity of the union as a socialist union to determine fundamental principles of BYGGNADS on which way to go forward and ways to stand against the rise of the right, particularly fascism. 

He underlined that the youth work in his career has nurtured his energy to go beyond the limits, and has always been an inspiration to sustain at all levels the challenging union work to change the world. He appreciated the young workers’ motivation to build a better future to broaden the members’ perspectives.

BWI and its youth structures congratulate our young leader Jakob Wagner and wish him all the success in his new position as the union secretary. He will be a part of the BYGGNADS management together with Chair Johan Lindholm, Vice Chair Lars Hildingsson and Contract Secretary Torbjörn Hagelin.