Trade union movement in Finland: High organising rate and a female majority

(Helsinki 19.05.2003 - Juhani Artto) Finland is one of a handful of countries where a large majority of wage and salary earners have joined trade unions. Majority of the members are women: In 2001 the proportion of women in the trade unions was 53 per cent.

A new survey published in February 2003 indicates that the organising rate in 2001 was over 70 per cent. Comparison with the previous survey reviewing the situation in 1994 sends a warning signal to the union movement, however. In seven years the organising rate has fallen by about 7 percentage points.

Read more about the survey on Trade Union News from Finland.