Michael Sommer: Ex-DGB chairman died at the age of 73

Michael Sommer (1952-2025) is dead. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) announced this on June 30th. Sommer, who was chairman of the DGB between 2002 and 2014, died “last night”. He was 73 years old.

Summer, born in Büderich near Düsseldorf in 1952, “had a significant impact on the fortunes of the German union movement”. The deceased tirelessly “campaigned for solidarity and justice in the world of work”. His basic conviction was: “We are independent of party politics, but not politically neutral.” He often quoted Wilhelm Leuschners (1890-1944) words “creates the unity”. Summer’s motto was: “You don’t have to pass on the ashes, but the fire!”

Summer often brought the union side into political debates during his tenure. He passionately “fought the Hartz reforms and the massive expansion of precarious employment for many years”. The greatest political success of the former DGB chairman was a enforcement of the general statutory minimum wage, which was introduced one year after the term in summer.

The DGB says goodbye to its former chairman with the words: “Michael Sommer was one of us with body and soul. With his death, we lose a great trade unionist who fought passionately for a fairer world.”