Portrait

  • Saved? – At least for now

    For the past few months General Motors (GM) has been on the rampage in Europe. The attacks were directed at the three German Opel plants in Rüsselsheim, Bochum and Kaiserslautern, plus Swedish Saab in Trollhättan. 12 000 jobs are going, the German wages are lowered, working hours are increased – and the only guarantee is…

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    4 minutes

  • Øresund has something to teach Europe

    Peter Kay Mortensen thinks the rest of Europe could learn from the experiences of the Øresund region in Denmark and Sweden. He is chairman of the Greater Copenhagen Section of the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions, and one of the driving forces behind the Øresund co-operation.

    6 minutes

  • Siv Fridleifsdottir and the Icelandic chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2004

    She is Icelandic, Norwegian, and a little bit Swedish. She grew up on the outskirts of the only big city in Iceland, in the county of Seltjarnarnes, surrounded by the Atlantic. Her main job is as Iceland’s Environment Minister, and this year she is also a Nordic co-operation minister.

    6 minutes
    Siv Fridleifsdottir and the Icelandic chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2004

  • Nordic cooperation – a question of survival

    There are those who ask whether Nordic cooperation still has a part to play in a Europe run by the EU. That does not apply to Per Unckel. The Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers is all enthusiasm. If all doubt regarding the Nordic cooperation has not been dispelled by the time he…

    8 minutes
    Nordic cooperation – a question of survival

  • The spirit of Iceland – Big cars and Big Spenders

    The statistics of Iceland are remarkable. It stands out among the Nordic countries. It is the country with the highest employment rate (for women too), the lowest unemployment rate, the highest working age, the longest life expectancy, the highest birth rate and the lowest sick leave rates. Why is that? Where’s the magic?

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    6 minutes
    The spirit of Iceland – Big cars and Big Spenders

  • Council of Nordic Trade Unions: Full steam ahead?

    Free movement of labour is a major benefit, affording the opportunity for increased economic growth and welfare. That much is undisputed. “But, it is important that we are well-prepared to meet the changes and that we are aware of the possible knock-on effects,” says Sture Nordh, Vice-President of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS).

    5 minutes

  • Iceland’s Director of Labour: At the Service of Working Life

    “Yes, 4x4s are very much status symbols here,” he replies smiling and with a sense of self-mockery. We have just climbed aboard a huge Land Rover and are driving off with a panoramic view into a wet landscape.

    7 minutes

  • The Nordic Ministers of Labour

    The issue of the supply of skilled labour is high on the agenda in the Nordic countries, as well as that of getting everybody on track for the new knowledge-based society. We have put four questions to the Ministers responsible for labour market policy in the Nordic countries, in order to hear their views on…

    1 minute

  • Tarja Filatov, Social Democratic Party, Finland

    Bottlenecks in the labour market?  There will certainly be bottleneck problems in the area of the new technology for a long time yet, but they do not seem to be insurmountable. It already seems that this area attracts a huge number of people of various ages to training, and also producing self-educated people. At present,…

    2 minutes

  • Mona Sahlin, Social Democratic Party, Sweden

    Bottlenecks in the labour market?  The objective of Swedish economic policy is full employment. In the second quarter of 2000 the proportion of people in regular employment was 77.5 per cent, while unemployment was at 4.7 per cent. I believe that it is important that we make sure that all of us who want to…

    4 minutes