Woman to lead largest SAK affiliated Union

A historic event is about to take place within the sphere of SAK as, for the first time, a woman will be elected as the President of the largest SAK affiliated Union. Dr Tuire Santamäki-Vuori is expected to be voted into the post of the President of KTV, the Trade Union for the Municipal Sector, by the Union Congress which will convene from the 3rd to the 6th of June 2001. She is at the moment the Vice President of the Union.

Dr Santamäki-Vuori is an esteemed sociologist, who has previously worked, for example, as the Director of the Employee Research Centre. The President of KTV is elected for a period of five years.

KTV has been led since 1989 by Mr Jouni Riskilä, who will retire in the summer of 2001. Mr Riskilä has been employed by the Union since the 1960's, and he has also held the post of the Chairman of the SAK General Council. The SAK Congress will elect a new Chair for the General Council in May 2001.

KTV has some 215,000 members but PAM, Service Unions United, with its membership of some 200,000, is now challenging KTV for the position of being the largest trade union in Finland.