Bothua nominated as BWI Regional Vice-President for Europe
The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) European Regional Committee on 24-25 September 2024 elected seasoned trade union leader Bruno Bothua as the new BWI Regional Vice-President for Europe during their regional meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Bruno Bothua, 56, is an art cabinetmaker by training and has worked at HillRom, a specialist in hospital furniture, for 31 years. He has a long history of trade union leadership, starting as General Secretary of the local CGT union in Pays d'Auray, Brittany, and moving on to lead the Departmental Union of Morbihan and FNSCBA-CGT, the French union affiliate to BWI. He currently manages European policies for the federation and serves as the Director of Administration and Finance for the Confederation.
In his acceptance speech, Bothua emphasised ending workplace fatalities as a primary goal. He highlighted the need to reduce occupational risks through measures like limiting subcontracting and stressed the importance of defending both collective and individual worker interests, ensuring everyone can live with dignity from their work. He also aimed to further strengthen the collective power of European trade unions, striving to create safer and fairer workplaces while expanding the rights of workers across all sectors. His leadership promised a renewed focus on solidarity and shared knowledge as essential tools in achieving these goals.
Bothua's nomination was supported by numerous trade unions across Europe, including FNSCBA-CGT (France), FO-BTP (France), GBH (Austria), UNIA (Switzerland), IG BAU (Germany), and others from Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Türkiye, and Israel.