The shop steward is there to help you

In every workplace, covered by an Industrial Union collec­tive agree­ment, emplo­yees can elect a union member as their shop steward (luotta­mus­mies). The elections are held every two years. Any union member can be a candi­date in his or her workplace, and all members have the right to vote.

The tasks of a shop steward are to negotiate, make agree­ments, settle disputes, and channel infor­ma­tion between the emplo­yees and the employer. To this end, the collec­tive agree­ments guarantee training, financial compen­sa­tion and paid time off for these tasks. In compa­nies with more than 400 emplo­yees, a shop steward is a full-time job.

One of the key tasks of the shop steward is to help union members in all questions concer­ning terms of work. In all such matters, the shop steward is bound to observe absolute client confidentiality.

The ideal situa­tion is when the shop steward and the employer are in genuine cooperation.

The shop steward has the right to get relevant infor­ma­tion from the employer in order to carry out his or her duties. They have the right to speak directly when repre­sen­ting emplo­yees. They have protec­tion against unfair dismissal.

The ideal situa­tion is when the shop steward and the employer are in genuine coope­ra­tion. Working together to improve the work milieu and innova­ting new ways to act, benefit­ting both the company and emplo­yees. In fact, this is quite the norm.

The task of a shop steward sounds deman­ding. However, there is no need to be an amateur lawyer or to master every detail of working life rules. Shop stewards are like anyone else in the workplace, normal people with a willing­ness to speak out for their colleagues.

And they are not left on their own without support. The Industrial Union trains shop stewards, equips them with material needed, and has lawyers and other staff to help them with any question. The union knows that shop stewards are the backbone of the union.

The union at your workplace

When you join the Industrial Union, you join one of the union’s local branches. At the moment, there are some 440 of them. The members can consist of people from a single or several workplaces.

The local branches offer training and recrea­tional activi­ties. All local branches have a democ­ra­tically elected board. It can often advise members on questions regar­ding work-related issues. The shop steward works in close co-opera­tion with the local branch.

Another person repre­sen­ting emplo­yees is the occupa­tional health and safety (OHS) repre­sen­ta­tive (työsuo­je­lu­val­tuu­tettu). He or she is elected by a ballot in the workplace. In the bigger workplaces, an additional OHS committee is also elected.

The task of an OHS repre­sen­ta­tive is to focus on matters concer­ning health and safety issues at the workplace. He or she acts on any shortco­mings that come to light. In this area, help and coope­ra­tion from all emplo­yees is vital.

The role of the OHS repre­sen­ta­tive is based on legis­la­tion and collec­tive agreements.