“It is important that trade
unions work on to keep their good reputation to hold on to a large
number of members. If not the Nordic model may come under pressure,”
says Norway’s Minister for Cooperation Rigmor Aasrud.
She encourages unions to listen to their
members.
“Unions must get closer to their members and
deliver a better service for less money,” recommends Danish labour
market researchers. That is an idea which is starting to gain traction
in Sweden.
The reduction in union membership in the Nordic
countries is not dramatic, but we still need to ask: how do unions
capture the spirit of the times?
Salary gaps are increasing in the Nordic region. Is
there a connection between increased salary gaps and union legitimacy?
Can the combination of increasing gaps and poor union membership
figures lead to poor discipline? Trade unions and the new spirit of our
times is this month’s theme.
Iceland is still in the world’s spotlight. This
time it is about ‘Iceland’s road to recovery’. Welfare first, said the
Icelanders after greedy businesspeople and bankers had taken their
country to the brink of bankruptcy. Now Iceland is globally praised for
the way the country managed the crisis. Would results be equally good
if Iceland had not based its efforts on the Nordic welfare state?
In the portrait we meet Finland’s Minister of
Labour. After more than 20 years as president of the Central
Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions he now holds a political position.
What happens then? He is fully focused on improving the competence
among Finland’s workers and improving the country’s working life so
that Finland can be better prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
The European crisis also affects the Nordic region,
and the welfare state is under pressure. The Nordic countries must face
the challenges together and continue to develop their cooperation,
according to the coming Norwegian presidency of the Nordic Council of
Ministers – which also invites the social partners to join the
team.
Perhaps the trade unions too face a challenge they
can take on together; to take the spirit of our times seriously when
facing future challenges.
