Helsinki (22.10.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Trade union membership figures shot up in September due to the Government’s plans to radically cut workers' benefits. Now the trade union confederations are campaigning to recruit new members especially among young people.
The slogan of the campaign is ‘How do you feel about it?’ The first part of the campaign in winter 2014 raised questions like zero-hour contracts, equal salaries and overtime work without compensation.
The second part of the campaign is now focusing on people from 20 to 35 years of age. According to the surveys they are worried about questions such as security against dismissals, the right to holidays and combining family with working life.
The campaign was launched in October with five humorous TV-spots. These are shown and viewed widely on various web sites and also screened in cinemas.
The campaign web site mikäfiilis.fi also has an English content. There you can see two of these spots - Revolving door and Maternity ward - with English subtitles.
Behind the ‘How do you feel about it?’ campaign are the three Finnish Trade Union Confederations; Akava, SAK and STTK. Many trade unions are also campaigning right now to recruit new members.
The Finnish Metalworkers’ Union has come out with the slogan ‘Advocacy is a team game’. ”The most important thing in advocacy is that a sufficient number of workers in the workplace are active members of the union”, the union says.
One of the main reasons for a recruiting campaign is to support activities on the factory floor level. The Metalworkers’ Union has several collective agreements allowing for local modifications to the agreements. To use these the union needs negotiating power at local level and this is done by the members.
The Metalworkers’ Union campaign web page joukkuelaji.fi is also available in English.
Prime Minister did not accept the union prize
The Service Union United PAM got more than 4,000 new members in September after Prime Minister Juha Sipilä announced Government plans to introduce legislation dramatically cutting workers' benefits.
PAM has the tradition of rewarding their best recruiters with a Jopo-bicycle. It is once again made in Finland by a Finnish company that returned its production back to Finland from Asia.
So the Union decided to give it to the Prime Minister Sipilä in recognition of his services as one of the best recruiters the Union has. In the attached letter PAM explained that they had even chosen the colour of the bike to chime with the symbolic green colour of the Prime Minister's Centre Party.
However, the Prime Minister sent the Jopo-bicycle back without a note attached.
Read also:
New members flock to join trade unions (24.09.2015)
Production is returned back to Finland from Asia (13.03.2013)