Thomas Händel

Thomas Händel (born 27 August 1953) is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament from Germany. He is a member of The Left, part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left. He was appointed Chair of the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee in July 2014.

Händel began training as an electrician at Grundig in Fürth in 1970, which is also when he joined the IG Metall trade union. He subsequently attended the academy of work at Goethe University Frankfurt, after which he advanced through IG Metall, becoming the managing director of the Fürth branch in 1987 and a member of the national advisory board in 1991. Händel was one of the party's four executive board members and acted as treasurer. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2009.