Portrait — Nordic Labour Journal

Palle Ørbæk signals new course for Europe’s work environment policies

(May 22, 2012) Making sure people can work to their best capacity should be a top priority when improving working environments says Palle Ørbæk, director general at the Danish Research Centre for the Working Environment. Ten other top European working environment researchers are backing him.

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir: The gender pay gap is now the most important equality issue

(Mar 08, 2012) Iceland’s Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir has managed what many thought near impossible. She has cut public spending in the wake of the market crash without negatively impacting Iceland’s social security system.

Trine Lise Sundnes: Nordic workers’ voice at the ILO

(Jan 31, 2012) The most important labour-regulating conventions were first introduced in Europe before being exported to countries elsewhere. Yet these same rights are now under threat from European countries looking for more ways to cut costs in the face of the economic crisis, says Trine Lise Sundnes, who represents Nordic workers on the ILO’s governing body.

Loa Brynjulfsdottir wants to defend the collective agreement model

(Dec 12, 2011) Loa Brynjulfsdottir is the new general secretary at the Council of Nordic Trade Unions, NFS. Her top priority is to further defend the Nordic collective agreement model. It is under pressure from the more regulations-based way in which labour market issues are dealt with within the EU.

Minister of Labour Lauri Ihalainen: Improved competence will safeguard Finland’s future

(Nov 11, 2011) Finland’s new government has ambitious goals for improving people’s level of competence. Finns will handle structural changes and future challenges better through improved education and adult training.

Sweden’s Minister for Nordic Coordination Ewa Björling has a soft spot for mines

(Oct 12, 2011) “We want to do something for the mining industry. There has never been Nordic cooperation in that field. Right now there’s a Klondike situation for mining in Sweden, Norway and Finland. If you include Greenland there’s a great Danish interest too,” says Ewa Björling, Sweden’s Minister for Nordic Cooperation.

Iceland’s Gudbjartur Hannesson puts people’s welfare first during the crisis

(Sep 07, 2011) We have learnt that a state welfare system is immensely important and a prerequisite for a healthy working life, says Island’s Minister for Welfare Gudbjartur Hannesson. That is why protecting our welfare system has been given top priority during the crisis.

TCO's Eva Nordmark: unions must be relevant to our time

(Jun 16, 2011) "The union's role is to be relevant in today's working life, which is considerably different from the time when my parents started working. Yet the basic values remain the same. As always the union is about the dream of freedom, development and having the chance to live a good life," says Eva Nordmark, newly elected chairperson for TCO.

Norway's Rigmor Aasrud to uncover the myth of a uniform Nordic region

(May 10, 2011) Norway's Cooperation Minister Rigmor Aasrud wants to engage the Nordic countries' grass roots when Norway takes on the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2012.

The employers' voice in the European dialogue

(Apr 07, 2011) Will the social partners reach agreement on the working time directive like they managed to come to an agreement on work-related stress? Initial talks have begun but nobody knows how it will end. The social dialogue is nevertheless playing a part in Europe's policy development.

Challenge to Finland's health sector "not due to lack of resources”

(Mar 07, 2011) Finland's health and social care sector is facing major challenges. But this is not about a lack of resources. Systems and processes need an overhaul to allow doctors and nurses to work with what they have been trained for: to take care of people, Finland's Minister of Social Affairs and Health Juha Rehula tells Nordic Labour Journal.

Working hours: a hot topic for the Labour Inspection Authority director

(Feb 11, 2011) Ingrid Finboe Svendsen's dream is to create a popular drive for a better work environment. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority has often been in the spotlight for dealing with cases of social dumbing, but the Authority's director wants to showcase the full scope of what the organisation does. And this is where Facebook comes in.

Hillevi Engström: more social responsibility needed in working life

(Nov 24, 2010) Once the leading star of Swedish Police, Hillevi Engström is now in charge of whipping working life into line. She wants to use her role as Minister for Employment to challenge businesses to take social responsibility. In return she offers economical incentives and an improved education system.

Guðbjartur Hannesson - Iceland's Minister for Welfare

(Oct 03, 2010) Guðbjartur Hannesson is Iceland's new minister in charge of merging all welfare issues into one ministry. He must do this while the country's budget is cut to the bone in the wake of the 2008 crash which left the country's economy in ruins. The Ministry of Welfare must be up and running by the end of the year.

Finland's Anni Sinnemäki: passionate about an individually tailored welfare system

(Aug 31, 2010) Finland's Minister of Labour wants to make individuals visible. Young people should not be seen as a uniform group but as separate people with different needs. In Finland a lot of time has been spent analysing each person's situation, and as a result, she says, the state can offer more rational measures tailored to the individual's needs.