The Finnish Paper Workers’ Union

The Finnish Paper Workers’ Union, founded 1906, organizes all blue collar workers in the pulp and paper industry. The main task is to watch over its members’ interests and to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. The main employers are UPM, Stora Enso and M-real.

65 local unions
The Union consists of 65 local unions nationwide. Each is run by an executive committee, which is elected annually and headed by a president; who is also elected at the annual meeting.

Finnish Paper Workers’ Unemployment Fund
If a union member is made unemployed they can receive unemployment benefit from the  Finnish Paper Workers’ Unemployment Fund.

International Connections
The Finnish Paper Workers’ Union is a member of the Nordic IN; European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation EMCEF and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Union ICEM.

Organization and decisionmaking
The local unions send delegates to a congress, which takes place every fourth year. The Congress is the Union’s supreme decision-making body and elects the president of the Paper Workers’ Union. Each local union sends one delegate for every 200 members.

Between Congresses the National Council makes the decisions. The administrative board of the union is the Executive Committee, which usually meets once a month.

The Head Office is situated in Helsinki. It is headed by the President.