The many faces of part time work

For many, part time work can be the solution to the time trap. The debate often focuses on involuntary part time work and especially on women’s role. But the impact part time work has on pensions needn’t be as bad as was once thought, a new study shows. Meanwhile new kinds of part time work spring up as a result of employers’ never-ending quest for flexibility. In the UK so-called zero hour contracts are already common, where there is no set number of hours involved at all.

Nov 07, 2013 | Photo: Lars Bertelsen

Dorte Nielsen (above) is a Danish preschool teacher who chose part time work in order to manage to stay in her job — but who then had to take on another job to make ends meet

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Latest news: More sick leave among ‘double-shift’ women than men (Nov 07, 2013) When a woman has her second child while holding down an equally demanding job as the father, she is at twice the risk of going off sick compared to her husband, according to a new report on sick leave among women, presented in Sweden on 5 November.; The Efta court clashes with Norway’s Supreme Court (Nov 07, 2013) Norway’s Supreme Court was wrong to rule that companies posting workers to the Norwegian shipbuilding industry must pay their travel, board and lodging expenses, argues the Efta Court’s President in a general attack on the Supreme Court. He accuses it of being disloyal to the EEA agreement and indicates the last word may still not been had.; Women less penalised for part-time work than previously thought (Oct 31, 2013) Part-time work has few negative consequences for women in the Nordic region. New regulations have reduced the impact on pensions. A preschool teacher or enrolled nurse in Denmark or Norway who works part-time for ten years still receives 98-99 percent of the maximum pension.; Elisabeth Svantesson is Sweden’s new Minister for Employment (Oct 09, 2013) On 17 September Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt appointed Elisabeth Svantesson as his new Minister for Employment. She replaces Hillevi Engström who became Minister for International Development Cooperation. The reshuffle was announced during the Prime Minister’s government declaration.; More social enterprises on the horizon in Denmark (Sep 06, 2013) Social enterprises are being promoted both by the Nordic region and the EU. Denmark’s government has launched a new strategy.; All news

Recent articles: Editorial: The part time debate needs broadening (Nov 08, 2013) Comments Part time work is one of the most important issues in the Nordic gender equality debate. The gap might be narrowing, but women still work more part time than men. This is a question of money, culture and morals, but where lecturing might not be the best tool if you want to change things.; Sture Fjäder challenges Finland’s trade union culture (Nov 07, 2013) Portrait Strengthening the Nordics as an economic region, cutting income tax, reviewing the priorities of the welfare state – these are just a few of the issues on union boss Sture Fjäder’s agenda for Finland and the Nordic region.; Editorial: a Vision Zero for workplace accidents (Oct 09, 2013) Comments Lets get a Vision Zero for workplace accidents! That’s the conclusion in the report ‘Young workers’ working environment in the Nordic countries’, which forms the basis for this month’s theme.; Dagfinn Høybråten’s new Nordic project: health cooperation (Oct 08, 2013) Portrait Much tighter cooperation between Nordic health services is in the pipeline and if it succeeds the cooperation model can easily be expanded to include other policy areas which would help develop the Nordic welfare model. That’s the vision of the project’s chief architect, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Dagfinn Høybråten.; Editorial: Can we afford not to invest in young people? (Sep 13, 2013) Comments What can get more young people into work? Where are the successful experiences that shows it pays to give young people a chance in working life? Everyone shares the same goal: getting people into work while maintaining an efficient use of taxpayers’ money, says Sweden’s Minister for Labour Hillevi Engström in this month’s theme.; Occupational rehabilitation – organised anarchy? (Sep 12, 2013) Research Everyone struggles to increase the labour participation rate among people with reduced work ability. Could the actual support system be the greatest obstacle?; All articles

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Sture Fjäder challenges Finland’s trade union culture

Sture Fjäder has been leader of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland for the past two and a half years.

His open approach has also had some of his more old fashioned colleagues shift uncomfortably in their chairs. They have been used to solve things behind closed doors, while Sture Fjäder has openly talked about what has been happening during meetings.

Finland’s trade union culture definitely presents a challenge. He is also fighting to maintain a confederation with more than half a million highly educated members organised through 35 trade unions.

He is worried for how the country can manage to renew itself while central parts of industry, Nokia and the IT sector, are fighting for survival.

“We’re facing the greatest change to Finnish industrial history since the country gained independence. We have to hope that we can get through this crisis by simply creating new things, and to do that you need the right incentives.”

As this year’s President of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS) with more than 8.7 million members, Sture Fjäder is currently speaking from an even wider platform.

“What we miss in the Nordic region is a social dialogue on working life between the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers and employers – that’s the kind of cooperation we should have, just like it is within the EU, a social dialogue," he tells the Nordic Labour Journal.