Avainsana: UNI

Julkaistu

EUROPE DAY IN HELSINKI AT SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC ELECTION RALLY

Listening to one of our former UNI Global Union Board Members today on May 9th 2019, at the Europe Day celebrations in Helsinki. Antti Rinne, speaker of parliament and president of the Social Democratic Party is now working to put together a broad coalition government. He took some time off from negotiations to come down to our street meeting where we launched the active campaign for the European Parliament elections.


My own candidate Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi from the northernmost part of Finland – Lapland – was of course there as well. When elected, the chair of our social democratic youth will be the first MEP to represent Europe’s only recognised indigenous population, the Sami. He is considered here to have good chances to get elected and it was nice to see how many of us already retired unionists are openly flagging for his candidacy.


Having returned home after 26 years of international trade union work in Geneva it is rewarding and inspiring to participate in support of a new generation of leaders also on the EU arena – motivated skilled and responsible people who defend our common European values. Today we need these young leaders to take over EU responsibilities if we are to cope with the huge challenges facing us, such as climate change and global security.


Today’s event was pleasant also because a handful of us who were working for the Finnish unions already in the 70’s and 80’s and then continued in many different positions met and chatted a bit as we listened and showed our support for our politician colleagues.


In the pictures, Antti Rinne and Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi, and behind Mikkel also Eero Heinäluoma who started as youth secretary in the trade union confederation SAK and moved on to be Finance Minister and Speaker of Parliament and now has decided to participate in the EU elections after resigning from the Finnish parliament.

Julkaistu

Health sector problems in Japan and Finland are quite similar, seen from a union viewpoint

”Masanobu Furukawa from UA Zensen told delegates ( to the 2nd UNICARE World Conference in Rome in February 2019 ) that with the exploding elderly population in Japan, the need for collective bargaining agreements in the health sector is dire. Overcrowded care homes, burnout, stress and dangerous conditions are rife and unions are looking for solutions. The relationships built up through collective bargaining are a way to make sure that workers lives are improved.”


There is a serious situation in many private profit-based retirement homes and other social services in Finland as well. Here, under-staffing creates the kind of problems that also the Japanese health care professionals recognise. Strict minimum conditions through legislation combined with legally binding collective agreements is a solution.


In countries with well developed public social and health services such as Finland it makes no sense to outsource them to private profit-hungry multinationals like is being done here. In addition, the tax payers carry the costs and these huge companies themselves avoid taxes through internal expensive loan arrangements and ’tax planning’ that usually involves tax paradises.