‘I am grateful to Akava for this vote of confidence. It is an honour to continue working with our affiliates and membership on behalf of a better working life. It is my intention to make Akava a compass for working life reforms concerning experts and supervisors and a forerunner in the labour market’, states Maria Löfgren, President of Akava.
‘The Government is currently changing the structures of our labour market on a rapid timetable and without reaching any consensus with the social partner organisations. The working life goals of employees have largely been ignored within today’s politics. A labour market policy that fluctuates with electoral terms would increase uncertainty at the same time as economic policy is calling for a long-term approach’, Löfgren adds.
‘Conflicts and unilateral reforms cannot become the permanent means of developing the Finnish labour market. Moving forward, we need a more accurate shared situational picture and closer co-operation between the private and public sectors. There is no way to achieve stability and trust within the labour market other than by working together and finding common ground. The labour market should not be turned into a political playground for the time span of each electoral term’, Löfgren continues.
‘The current labour market transformation is also an opportunity to boost interest in trade union membership. For example, if local bargaining expands, it will call for strong expertise, and our affiliates will be there to support our members in this area’, says Löfgren.
‘This is a good juncture to advance our work with affiliates to better the working lives of all Akava members. We are a multisectoral confederation whose membership holds key roles in managerial, supervisory and expert positions. This inherently increases the number and variety of voices around the table.’
‘My uncompromising goal is for Akava to always be known in the future for its clear, justified and concrete objectives, which are utilised to reform working life and which our affiliates can communicate from a pluralistic position but with a united voice. Our growing membership increases our responsibility and internal coherence as well as the need to take an ever more varied community into consideration’, Löfgren adds.
Löfgren, LL.M., has extensive experience from different positions within the Akava organisation and the private sector.
In her union meeting address, Löfgren highlighted the green transition as part of the means of assuring economic growth in Finland. She referenced the recent Akava Works report, drafted by Oxford Economics, on the impacts of EU climate policy on Finland’s economy.
Read the union meeting address
Union Meeting Address by Maria Löfgren 21 May 2024
Further information
Maria Löfgren, President, tel. +358 40 568 2798
