The shop steward safeguards the rights of union members

Text Anssi Bwalya images getty imahes

english transalation Marko saajanaho

The employer always has power over an individual employee. This is why shop stewards are needed at workplaces, according to Mari Hatavara, Professor of Finnish Literature and Tampere University chief shop steward. The arrangement becomes more equal when the employee can lean on their trade union representatives for support.

“Working together in an organised manner is always far, far more effective than everyone having to individually handle their own matters and plead their own cases.”

A shop steward represents the members of their trade union in local negotiations concerning their employment contract and answers employment-related questions by offering advice. In addition, shop stewards often participate in university decision-making in different co-operative groups. Shop stewards are appointed via elections, and their term typically lasts two or three years. The shop stewards of the Finnish Union of University Professors, the Union of Research Professionals, and the Union for University Teachers and Researchers in Finland (YLL) are all JUKO (Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals) shop stewards.

Bringing some sense to working life

Many aspects of university work are not ideally organised for employees or their core tasks. Hatavara became involved in shop steward activities through a desire to address the issues she saw.

University of Eastern Finland shop steward Sanna Niskanen has a similar story. She has worked as a teacher at the Language Centre for a long time and repeatedly notices that her fellow teachers are not always fully aware of their rights. Her colleagues may not know which tasks are truly part of their job under total working hours.

“We shop stewards offer support and can bring some sense to the whole thing”, Niskanen sums up her role.

Shop stewards are available to help with many kinds of issues. They often field questions about fixed-term employment contracts. Even at universities, there should always be a valid reason for fixed-term employment. However, amidst the interconnected substitutions and tenure track paths, which seem rather mysterious to an outside observer, it can require a lot of time and expertise to determine the proper rationale for fixed-term contracts.

Another concern raised by Niskanen is arrangements regarding absences. If an employee must take a longer leave of absence due to sick leave, for example, that year’s work plan must be modified with their supervisor. The most diligent employees may think they need to catch up with the lost work upon returning from their absence.

A moderate trustee

The role of the shop steward does come with its own limits. According to Mari Hatavara, shop stewards are often contacted regarding internal work community conflicts. Shop stewards do what they can to assist, of course, but matters such as accusations of inappropriate behaviour should primarily be handled by occupational health and safety representatives.

Jarmo Kiuru, Lecturer in Legal Informatics at the Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland, serves as both shop steward and occupational health and safety representative. Despite shop stewarding and occupational health and safety being governed by different laws, addressing contract matters and ensuring well-being at work are sometimes intertwined in everyday issues.

“Also being a health and safety representative sometimes simplifies this job.”

“Also being a health and safety representative sometimes simplifies this job.”

Lecturer in Legal Informatics, University of Lapland

The idea of the shop steward as the defender of the employee can sometimes be overly simplified. Kiuru notes that shop stewards can have to resolve complicated cases that are not exclusively about a conflict between an individual employee and their employer. If the case involves multiple employees, the shop steward cannot just assist one of them. Their job is to represent the entire membership.

Shop steward presence in conflict situations can sometimes lead to excessive anxiety. Kiuru emphasises that the shop steward does not make decisions on anyone’s behalf and instead assists with problem-solving based on facts. Sanna Niskanen also highlights that shop stewards always familiarise themselves of the details of each case in a neutral manner. The shop steward does not immediately call the membership to the barricades upon being contacted, but instead they start resolving the matter at hand by carefully examining the questions relating to the employment contract.

The joy of helping, learning new things

When asked about the best parts of working as a shop steward, the interviewees bring up helping their colleagues and the opportunity to get to know new people from different units within their own university as well as other universities across Finland. Shop steward work offers a refreshing change of pace from the usual daily grind, and the shop stewards form a second work community of sorts.

Shop stewards feel they can influence questions regarding employment despite not every case being resolved in the desired manner. At the same time, some are wondering whether hearing employee representatives is often handled in a superficial way.

According to Mari Hatavara, the employee side’s influence could be increased through structural changes. For example, collective agreement disputes could follow Sweden’s example and give the employee side the first right of interpretation. In addition, the Act on Co-operation in Undertakings (YT Act) could be updated by giving employers an obligation to report what concrete effects their dialogue with staff representatives have had.

In any case, the interviewees consider shop steward work a fulfilling way to make a positive difference in their work community. The position requires readiness to study contract texts, along with interpersonal skills and patience. However, the most important of all is willingness to learn new things – most skills are picked up along the way. JUKO organises extensive training to help those with less experience familiarise themselves with the world of employment contracts. And in tricky situations, you can always talk to the chief shop steward and the union. Sanna Niskanen encourages trying at least a vice shop steward position without worrying too much. That is the path she took as well.

“First, I dipped my pinky toe in that cold water, and then it started to interest me.”.