Germany's largest trade union votes in first female chair

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's largest trade union, IG Metall, voted in its first female leader on Monday, with Christiane Benner to succeed outgoing chair Joerg Hoffmann after eight years as his deputy.

Benner received 96.4% of delegates' votes at a trade union conference in Frankfurt.

With almost 2.2 million members, the world's largest independent trade union represents the interests of workers in the steel, metal and electrical industries, as well as in mechanical engineering and the textile industry.

The proportion of women in the organisation, which is male-dominated in line with the structure of the industries it represents, stands at just under 20%.

(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach, Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Miranda Murray)