In English
The shop steward is there to help you
Shop stewards are a crucial part of the union. They are the people the union members trust with their everyday problems. They are the people who are there to ensure that workers’ rights, collective agreements, and laws are respected in the workplaces.
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
Shop steward is not the only support the Industrial Union provides for its members at workplaces. Help can come in many forms from the local union branches, too.
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.
