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Jacqueline Weber confirmed as chairwoman – focus on social justice and housing policy
Darmstadt, July 11, 2025 – The Darmstadt-Dieburg district branch of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has elected a new board. At the inaugural meeting, Jacqueline Weber (IGBCE) Peter Grünig (ver.di) and Julian Gabel (IG Metall) were elected as her deputies .
The new board also includes Maria Lienert (NGG) , Monika Jowanowitsch (IG BAU) , Felicitas Hemel (GEW) , and Sedar Canoglu (EVG) . Long-time chairman Walter Busch-Hübenbecker and secretary Thomas Tesar .
Social division and housing shortage in focus
Jens Liedtke , managing director of the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) region of South Hesse, emphasized the central importance of a strong trade union movement in his speech: "A society in which profits are concentrated at the top and burdens are distributed at the bottom loses its balance and endangers its democracy." He warned against the erosion of social achievements such as the eight-hour workday , continued wage payment during illness , and the statutory minimum wage . According to Liedtke, distributive justice is a key issue for the future.
Liv Dizinger from the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) district of Hesse-Thuringia addressed a pressing issue: the shortage of affordable housing in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district. According to figures from the Pestel Institute, around 1,300 new apartments needed there annually – however, only 839 were completed The number of social housing units is declining, and rents in Dieburg have risen by over 70 percent since 2015 .
The DGB's central demands include:
- better financial resources for municipalities for housing construction
- the targeted expansion of social housing
- strengthening public housing companies
- a social land policy
- a more effective rent control measure at the state level
- as well as the establishment of an organization to provide housing for trainees, modeled on the student union.
The new chairwoman, Jacqueline Weber, expressed her delight at the rejuvenation and balanced gender distribution within the committee: "We not only have a strong team, but also significantly more women on the board – that's a good sign."
(DARMSTADT – RED/DGB)
Featured image: Behind the DGB flag, on the right, is Chairwoman Jacqueline Weber; diagonally to her left is Deputy Chairman Peter Grünig; in the first row, third from the left, is Deputy Chairman Julian Gabel. Photo: DGB
