A highlight of the day was the acclamation of the new PSI General Secretary, Daniel Bertossa, and Britta Lejon the new PSI President.

The congress gave both a standing ovation and welcomed them to their new responsibilities while also thanking Rosa Pavanelli and Dave Prentis for the work accomplished.

Danny previously served as PSI’s Assistant General Secretary. He has been with PSI for over ten years, managing policy, advocacy and governance with a focus on PSI's economic policy work in trade, tax, debt and the future of quality public services.

He grew up in Adelaide, Australia where his father worked in a state-owned power station and his mother was a public school teacher. Danny previously worked as an organiser and national officer for unions in Australia and the UK covering local government and municipal workers, health and social services, education and private sector service workers, where he lead multiple campaigns for better pay and job security, and against outsourcing and precarious work. He was Director of Policy and Strategy at the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the Government of South Australia. Prior to that, he was Ministerial Advisor for Public Sector Management, Local Government and Planning, Aboriginal Affairs and Family and Community Services.

He is a strong voice for workers in the global media, contributing union perspectives for outlets such as Le Monde, The Guardian, Poder360, EuroNews, Equal Times, The Hindu, and the International Centre for Trade Union Rights Journal.

Danny is a co-chair of the steering committee of the Independent Commission on Reform of International Corporate Tax (ICRICT), member of the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) tax Technical Committee, member of the Centre for Research on Employment and Work (CREW) advisory board at the University of Greenwich and member of the committee of the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR). 

He lives in France with his wife and two kids.

PSI’s new president

Britta Lejon has served as the President of The Union of Civil Servants (ST) in Sweden from 2012 to present, advocating for the rights and well-being of civil servants. She was also president of the National and European Administration Committee of the European region of PSI, EPSU, from 2015 to 2019.

Prior to her involvement in unions and administration, Britta Lejon was the President of the Swedish Library Organization from 2004 to 2009, where she contributed to the development and accessibility of libraries in Sweden.

She also served as a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2006, where she was a part of the standing committee of Labour and the vice president of the standing committee of Justice. Her contributions in Parliament focused on labor issues and justice reforms.

From 1998 to 2002, Britta Lejon held a ministerial position in the Swedish Government, where she was responsible for Democratic Issues, Public Administration, and consumer Policies. During the Swedish Presidency of the EU in 2001, she led negotiations on transparency, resulting in the first EU legislation on the right of access to documents.

Earlier in her career, from 1994 to 1998, Britta Lejon served as the President of the civil servants in the Government offices of Sweden, showcasing her expertise in public administration. Prior to that, from 1990 to 1998, she worked as a Senior officer in the Ministry of Transport and Communication, contributing to the development of transportation policies.

Britta Lejon's career began in 1987 as an Officer at the National Board of Transport and Communication, where she gained valuable experience in the field.

See all the official Congress photos here

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