Tribute to Rainer Raichert: "a true union activist"

It is with great sadness that the IFJ has learnt the passing away of Rainer Raichert, member of the German union DJV and a strong supporter of trade unionism.

Credit photo: Stefan Gregor

It is with great sadness that the IFJ learned of the death of Rainer Raichert, a member of the German journalists' union DJV and a strong supporter of trade unionism.

The chair of the EFJ Labour Expert Group, passed away on his way to attend an EFJ meeting in Brussels on 23 September.

"We have lost a friend, a true union activist and a strong supporter of press freedom", said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. "Rainer will be remembered as someone always ready to help, a kind person with a great sense of trade unionism. We send our deep condolence to his family and all his friends and colleagues in Germany".

Reicher wrote for the local newspaper in Würzburg at an early age, while still at school, and never interrupted this journalistic work during his law studies and legal clerkship. He worked as a journalist for more than 50 years and spent a lot of his free time to support the work of the EFJ. He was a member of the IFJ Constitutional Committee during the IFJ World Congress in Angers (2016).

In the Bavarian Journalists Association (Bayrischer-Journalisten-Verband, regional organisation of the DJV), he was heavily involved in trade union activities. He was the Founding Chairman of the Committee of Experts on Europe in the BJV and a long-standing Chairman of the Committee of Experts on Europe in the DJV.  Since 2008, he has been active in the EFJ Labour Rights Expert Group, for the last three years as its chair. Media literacy, authors’ rights, photojournalism, the future of journalism, improved relations with the European Parliament were just a few of the issues he was passionate about. engagements, Rainer was always there to help.

 

Messages of condolence can be sent to:

Bayerischer Journalisten-Verband

St.-Martin-Str.64

81541 München

[email protected]

Obituary of the BJV

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries

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