Born 3 August 1949

Married with three children

Education

Diploma in higher education in European Law from Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne (1994)

Career

 1969 Joined SNCF

 1975-1978 Secretary of Railway workers’ trade union of Soissons

 1978-1989 Secretary of Railway workers’ Federation, Member of the Higher Council of Transport

 1980-1989 General Secretary, Railway workers’ Inter-Federation (Grouping Railway, Transport, Equipment and Seafarers’ Federations)

 1984-1989 Secretary SNCF (SNCF has more than 380,000 employees, from the railway, transport, hotels and services sectors)

 1986-1988 Deputy Secretary Central Enterprise Committee - SNCF. President of the Economic Commission

 1989-2000 Member of European Economic and Social Committee, Vice President Economic and Social Committee (Environment 1992/1994)

 2001 Member of French Economic and Social Committee

 Since 1991 Member of Executive Committee CGT, responsible for CGT’s European and International activities

 Since 1999 Member of Executive Committee of the ETUC

His interests include rugby - he played until the age of 25 with the Racing Club of Vichy - swimming and jazz.

Elected Confederal Secretary of the ETUC at its Congress in Prague May 2003. Re-elected in Seville in 2007.