Frank Bsirske

Frank Bsirske
Bsirske in 2018
Member of the Bundestag
Incumbent
Assumed office 2021
Personal details
Born	(1952-02-10) 10 February 1952 (age 72) Helmstedt, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party	Alliance 90/The Greens
Alma mater	Free University of Berlin

Frank Bsirske (born 10 February 1952) is a German trade unionist and politician and of Alliance 90/The Greens who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since 2021. From 2001 to 2019, he was the chairman of the United Services Trade Union (ver.di).

Early life and education

Bsirske was born 1952 in the West German town of Heiligenstadt. ^[1] He later studied political science at Free University of Berlin.

Chair of ver.di, 2001–2019

From 2001 to 2019, Bsirske served as the chairman of the United Services Trade Union (ver.di). In this capacity, he was also member of the board of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the president of UNI Global's Europe section. ^[2]

In 2015, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel appointed Bsirske to the government's advisory board on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). ^[3]

Political career

Bsirske was elected to the Bundestag in 2021, representing the Helmstedt – Wolfsburg district. ^[4] In parliament, he has since been serving on the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 German elections, Bsirske was part of his party's delegation in the working group on labour policy, co-chaired by Hubertus Heil, Katharina Dröge and Johannes Vogel. ^[5]

In September 2024, Bsirske announced that he would not stand in the 2025 federal elections but instead resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term. ^[6]

Other activities

Corporate boards

• Commerzbank, Member of the Sustainability Advisory Board (since 2022) ^[7]
• Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG), member of the advisory board (since 2021) ^[8]
• Innogy, member of the Supervisory Board (2016–2019) ^[9]
• Deutsche Bank, member of the supervisory board (2013–2021) ^{[10] [11]}
• Postbank, member of the supervisory board (2010–2021) ^[12]
• RWE, member of the supervisory board (2001–2021) ^[13]
• KfW, member of the Board of Supervisory Directors (2006–2018) ^{[14] [15]}
• IBM Germany, member of the supervisory board (–2017)
• Lufthansa, member of the supervisory board (–2013) ^[16]

Non-profit organizations

• German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), member ^[17]
• Tennis Borussia Berlin, member ^[18]

Political positions

In 2016, Bsirske criticized the German government's support for the EU's Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. ^[19]

In 2022, Bsirske went against the party line and voted against the Scholz government's motion to change Germany's constitution to allow for a credit-based special defense fund of 100 billion euros ($107.35 billion) proposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ^[20]

Personal life

Bsirske has been married to Bettina Jankovsky since 1993. ^[21] From 2002 to 2021, the couple lived in Berlin's Charlottenburg district ^[22] before moving to Dahlem district. ^[23]

References

1. Alfons Frese (7 February 2022), Frank Bsirske im Bundestag: Neustart mit 70 Der Tagesspiegel .
2. Tennille Tracy (24 April 2007), Blackstone Finds Itself in Labor’s Crosshairs Wall Street Journal .
3. Advisory Board on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, press release of 20 November 2015.
4. "Deutscher Bundestag - Frank Bsirske".
5. Britt-Marie Lakämper (21 October 2021), SPD, Grüne, FDP: Diese Politiker verhandeln die Ampel-Koalition Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung .
6. Alfons Frese (17 September 2024), SPD-Politiker Achim Post kandidiert nicht mehr für den Bundestag Der Tagesspiegel .
7. Sustainability Advisory Board Commerzbank.
8. Georg Buschmann (26 July 2021), Maschmeyers Erben: Ex-Strukkis packen aus Wirtschaftswoche .
9. Innogy 2019 Annual Report
10. Olaf Storbeck (14 March 2019), The eight men who will decide the future of German banking Financial Times .
11. Cornelius Welp (14 September 2021), Frank Bsirske verlässt Aufsichtsräte – Nachfolge scheint klar Wirtschaftswoche .
12. 2010 Annual Report Postbank
13. Cornelius Welp (14 September 2021), Frank Bsirske verlässt Aufsichtsräte – Nachfolge scheint klar Wirtschaftswoche .
14. 2006 Annual Report KfW.
15. 2018 Annual Report KfW.
16. 2013 Annual Report Lufthansa
17. "Deutscher Bundestag - Frank Bsirske".
18. "Deutscher Bundestag - Frank Bsirske".
19. Hans von der Burchard (29 August 2016), Bitter German Socialist autumn threatens EU trade policy Politico Europe .
20. Guy Chazan (3 June 2022), Germany approves €100bn fund to modernise its armed forces Der Tagesspiegel .
21. Hubert Gude and Herbert Weber (13 November 2003), Der harte Smarte Focus .
22. Hubert Gude and Herbert Weber (13 November 2003), Der harte Smarte Focus .
23. Alfons Frese (7 February 2022), Frank Bsirske im Bundestag: Neustart mit 70 Der Tagesspiegel .