Ruhr University Bochum mourns the loss of Dr Erich Werthebach (8 March 1941 – 29 June 2026)
With the passing of Dr Erich Werthebach, Ruhr University Bochum and IG Metall have lost a figure who, over many decades, shaped a partnership between a university and a trade union that was unique in the Federal Republic of Germany. In this collaboration, as a graduate engineer and holder of a doctorate in social sciences, he combined technical, social and occupational science perspectives in a way that has ultimately remained of lasting significance for the development of Ruhr University’s knowledge transfer strategy to this day.