Portrait
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New President of LO-Denmark defends the Nordic model
The new first lady of the Danish trade union movement, Lizette Risgaard, is a staunch defender of Nordic cooperation and has already proven that she will fight to the bitter end in defence of the Nordic collective bargaining model.
5 minutes
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Norway’s new NAV Director: Sigrun Vågeng wants less central control and better leadership
“I have clear instructions to increase the focus on labour within NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration). That is my mission,” says Labour and Welfare Director Sigrun Vågeng. She believes less centralised control and more leadership will help her in that mission.
9 minutes
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Jari Lindström: The Minister of Employment who switched sides
A few years ago Jari Lindström was an unemployed paper mill worker in an industrial town with no future. Today he is Minister of Justice and Employment in the Finnish government planning considerable benefit cuts. Lindström has been forced to defend decisions he was fighting against not long ago.
7 minutes
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Former EU Commissioner Poul Nielson: The Nordic region plays a role
“The Nordic region is not an island in the global society. If we want to protect what we care about and make sure we are not overrun by the values of others, we need to enter that fight,” Poul Nielson tells the Nordic Labour Journal.
9 minutes
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Ingrid Ihme, chosen to sort out NAV
“This must be the most demanding and exciting group of the decade. I am proud to have been part of it,” says Ingrid Ihme, head of Telenor Open Mind, and one of the seven people chosen to sit in the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs’ Expert group which has been assessing possible changes to…
6 minutes
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Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir: The Bishop who is spring cleaning the church
Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir has been sitting in her office in Laugavegur in Reykjavik city centre preparing the Sunday’s sermon in peace and quiet. Now she is sat facing me, answering my questions quietly and to the point. The first question goes straight to the point; what is it like being a bishop?
4 minutes
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Minister for Strategic Development Kristina Persson: make the Arctic “green”
So far she has been the least visible minister in the Swedish government. That’s about to change as she is setting up a think tank in the government offices.
9 minutes
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Gerd Kristiansen: Norwegian LO leader with a backbone
There is tension in the air. The leader for Norway’s largest labour organisation is incensed with the government’s labour policies and its lack of cooperation on the proposed new work environment act which would grant employers more powers to hire people on temporary contracts. Her determination can be felt across the room.
10 minutes
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Ylva Johansson: Minister for Employment with a feminist agenda
Her ambitions are clear: youth unemployment is priority number one. Second on the list is to match jobseekers and jobs. She wants to improve working conditions in female-dominated workplaces and she will fight for more social rights within the EU.
10 minutes
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Kvinfo Director: The Nordics can’t afford not to be gender equal
Modern gender equality must liberate both sexes, and the Nordic region must be at the forefront of this. It is too expensive not to, says Nina Groes, Director at the Danish Centre for Information on Gender, Equality and Diversity, Kvinfo.
4 minutes