Our influence on working life, society and in the international sectors
Our most important task is to act as an advocate for our members in working life and in the workplace. Our members work extensively in a variety of industries, so our staff needs to have diverse expertise in issues and specificities in different industries. We support our members, whether they are employed by a large or small company, the state, a university or research institute, a city or municipality – or in some other field.
We work in decision-making positions in a number of different organisations and communities that affect the working life of the industries represented by Loimu. Above all else, we advocate for the working life of our members across all positions in the Akava community. In the workplace, we support the work of shop stewards and employee representatives in the industries represented by Loimu.
In many different arenas in society, we promote the operating conditions of the industries represented by Loimu and the quality and value of education in the labour market. We also work in international co-operation organisations, advancing Finnish know-how and expertise in the industries represented by Loimu.
The basic document of our social impact is Loimu’s Sustainable Future programme. It guides our advocacy activities in different areas.
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We influence working life by being active in the Akava community. The 36 member unions of the community form the central organisation Akava and the Akava-based negotiation organisations Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals (JUKO) and the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN). In these organisations, our advocate members have important roles, influencing the advancement of issues that are important to our members. Below you can see the main roles of Loimu members in the Akava community. If you would like to discuss or ask questions related to their tasks, you can contact the Loimu advocate shown below directly.
Akava
Akava, a central organisation of a total of 36 member unions and 600,000 members, is a key player and guardian of the interests of the higher education institutions in policy-making, drafting and legislating on the labour market, working life, business, education and pension policy and social security.
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, serves as the Deputy Chairman of Akava’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Working Committee and a member of the Pension Policy Committee.
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator (private sector forest industry and collective agreements negotiated by Loimu, forest business policy), serves as the Vice Chairman of Akava’s Innovation and Growth Committee (Deputy Member Mikko Salo).
Aaro Riitakorpi, Public Affairs Manager and Chief Negotiator (private sector), is a member of Akava’s Competence and Education Committee and Innovations and Growth Committee.
Johanna Hristov, Organization Manager, is a member of Akava’s Organisation Committee.
Linnea Frisk and Kaisla Jokelainen act as a representatives of the Loimu student members in the Akava student council (deputy Inna Siimes).
Several Loimu members are also involved in Akava’s regional networks across Finland.
Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals (JUKO)
JUKO, a negotiating organisation for Akava members working in the public sector, negotiates and concludes collective agreements for approximately 200,000 highly educated experts employed by the state, universities, municipalities or the church. JUKO organises and supports the activities of workplace shop stewards.
Arja Varis, Advocacy Manager, serves as a deputy member of JUKO’s Board of Directors, as a member of JUKO’s State Advisory Board and as a member of JUKO’s Municipal and Wellbeing Services County Advisory Board and its many working committees.
Maija Holma, Chief Negotiator, is a member of JUKO’s University Advisory Board (deputy member Aaro Riitakorpi).
Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN)
YTN, a negotiating organisation for Akava employees working in the private sector, negotiates and concludes collective agreements for approximately 170,000 highly educated experts working in the industrial and service sectors. YTN is a party to more than 30 national and company-specific collective agreements. YTN organises and supports the work of shop stewards and employee representatives of Akava.
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, serves as a deputy member of YTN’s Board of Directors.
Aaro Riitakorpi, Chief Negotiator (chemical industry, private laboratory industry, other private sectors) acts as the representative of YTN’s chemical industry background group, as the responsible representative and negotiator of the private laboratory industry background group and as a member of YTN’s Contract Policy Committee.
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, acts as a representative and negotiator for YTN’s forest industry background group, as a representative for Palta’s special services background group, as a negotiator for Metsähallitus and the Finnish Wildlife Agency, and as a member of YTN’s Contract Policy Committee.
Anna Melkas, Communications Manager, serves as the communicator for YTN’s private laboratory background group.
Eila Ruonala, Administrative Secretary, works as an assistant to YTN’s chemical industry background group.
Several Loimu members are also involved in YTN’s industry-specific background groups.
Vakava
Vakava ry is a cooperation organisation of 15 Akava associations and a total of almost 80,000 members, whose member associations cooperate closely on issues of negotiation and lobbying between the member unions of the Akava community.
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, serves as Vakava’s Chairman (Arja Varis as a deputy member of the Board) and a member of the Private Sector Group.
Arja Varis, Advocacy Manager, is a deputy member of the Vakava State Working Group.
Maija Holma, Chief Negotiator, is a member of Vakava’s University Working Group.
Aaro Riitakorpi, Chief Negotiator, and Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, are members of the Vakava Private Sector Working Group.
Suvi Liikkanen, Career Services Manager, is a member of the Vakava Training Working Group.
Anna Melkas, Communications Manager, serves as a member for the Vakava Communications Working Group.
Akavalaiset Yrittäjät AKY
AKY, the association for academic entrepreneurs, promotes the issues of highly educated entrepreneurs in working life in particular and provides various membership benefits for Akava’s entrepreneur members. AKY operates, among other things, as the industry association of Finnish Entrepreneurs.
Petra Bedda, Career Coach, works as a liaison for the Akava members at AKY.
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We are involved in decision-making positions in several organisations in both Loimu’s member sectors and other fields. In these roles, we promote issues that are important to highly educated experts, the preconditions for operating in the industries represented by Loimu, and focus on themes and stakeholders that affect our members’ labour market situation, professional status and appreciation.
Below you can find more information about the organisations in which, among other things, Loimu members do advocacy work. If you would like to discuss or ask questions related to their tasks, you can contact the Loimu advocate members shown below directly.
Loimu influences business, pension, economic and working life policies
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, is a member of the Finnish Centre for Pensions’ Representative Council.
Jaakko Kittamaa, Board member, is a member of the Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees Erko’s Board of Directors (deputy member Jukka Sippola).
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, is a member of the Bioeconomy Advisory Panel (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment).
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, is a member of the National Commission on Sustainable Development (Prime Minister’s Office).
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, is a member of the Supervisory Board of Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company.
Petra Bedda, Career Coach, is a member of the Board of OTTY, the association for voluntary employment.
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, is the Vice Chairman of the Forestry Committee of the Finnish Centre for Occupational Safety.
Arja Varis, Advocacy Manager, is a member of the national conciliation board for disputes between public employers and employees.
Our influence on education and training policy
Johanna Hristov, Organization Manager, is a member of the Advisory Board of the Department of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki.
Johanna Hristov, Organization Manager, is a member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki.
Johanna Hristov, Organization Manager, is a member of the steering group of the project on the qualitative assessment of competence and working life equivalence produced by forestry education by degree level.
Aaro Riitakorpi, Chief Negotiator, is a deputy member of the Board of Metsäkoulutus ry.
Aaro Riitakorpi, Chief Negotiator, is a member of the Finnish National Agency for Education’s foresight working group on the natural resources, food production and environment.
Aaro Riitakorpi, Chief Negotiator, is a member of the Finnish National Agency for Education’s foresight working group on the process industry and production.
Johanna Hristov, Organization Manager, is a deputy member of the Board of TJS Opintokeskus.
Our influence on the forest sector
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, is a deputy member of the Board of the Forest Stewardship Council Finland (FSC Finland) and a member of the Social Chamber working group.
Helena Herttuainen (Loimu Vice Chair in 2017, Loimu Chair in 2018-2019) is a member of the National Forest Council (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland) (deputy member Jukka Sippola).
Mikko Salo, General Secretary, is a member of Metsäviestintä Oy’s Board of Directors.
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, is a member of the Board of PEFC Finland – Finnish Forest Certification Council.
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, is a member of the Board of the Finnish Forest Foundation (deputy member Johanna Hristov).
Jukka Sippola, Chief Negotiator, is a member of the Board of the Finnish Forest Association (deputy member Mikko Salo).
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We are active both in international cooperation organisations in the industries represented by Loimu and in the international development cooperation activities of Finnish trade unions.
We operate as a national association in the European Federation of Geologists (EFG) and are involved in selected EFG projects. Aleksi Salo, Chairman of the our member association Geologiliitto ry, the Finnish Union of Geologists is a member of the EFG Governing Council. Within the framework of the EFG, we manage the granting of the European Geologist title in Finland.
We operate as a member organisation in the Nordic cooperation organisation in the industries represented by Loimu NLR – Nordic Council for Academics in Nature, Environment, Agriculture and Food Science. In 2019, in cooperation with other member organisations, we produced a report on labour mobility in the industries represented by Loimu in the Nordic countries, Nordic Work Mobility and Labour Market – For Professional Scientists. The NLR member organisations have used the report in discussions with policy makers to promote the mobility of highly educated workers in the Nordic countries. Our contact person in NLR matters is General Secretary Mikko Salo.
We operate as a member union in the Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland SASK. We have been involved in, among other things, in SASK’s Decent Work and Forestry project in Nepal. Our contact person in matters concerning SASK is our Finance and Administration Director Adam Kral
We operate as a member union in the Union of European Foresters (UEF). Chief Negotiator Jukka Sippola is a member of the UEF Governing Council.