After almost half a century with the company, Works Council Chairman Leo Berger is leaving Kögel Trailer GmbH in Burtenbach on March 1, 2024 to take partial retirement. Leo Berger has been a member of the company's Works Council since 1993, including 25 years in the position of Works Council Chairman without interruption. He has accompanied Kögel Trailer through all the highs and lows since he began his training as a steel construction fitter there in 1976.

Leo Berger's work on the works council was characterized by two insolvencies in 2004 and 2009. In 2010, he campaigned with great success for the preservation of the Burtenbach site and, in cooperation with IG Metall and the management of Kögel Trailer, reached an agreement on a collective labor agreement, including securing the Burtenbach site until 2031.

Despite the financial crisis, Covid and the war in Ukraine, thanks to his commitment and the commitment of his colleagues on the works council, no compulsory redundancies have been announced at Kögel since then, all trainees have been taken on and promised investments have been implemented. "It was and is important to us that we continue to invest in training, as our young people are our future," says Leo Berger, who lives in Münsterhausen. He is now taking partial retirement and devoting himself to other important tasks. In his spare time, he acts as an honorary guardian appointed by the local court and holds other voluntary positions. In addition to these functions, he also runs a farm as a hobby.