Members of Tehy will be electing new decision-makers for the Council this spring. A total of 83 members will be elected to the Council. The Council is the highest decision-making body of Tehy, it sets out the direction for the future of Tehy’s operations and decides on matters concerning advocacy for Tehy members and industrial action, for example.
I have served as the president of Tehy since 2017, and I have implemented decisions made by the Tehy Council in practice for nearly two terms. It has been of paramount importance and significance to me to hear the voices of the Council members – the opinions from the field, from the mouths of professionals, our colleagues.
First and foremost, I have received support and encouragement in difficult situations from the Council members, but also occasionally deserved criticism and reproval. Without working together and the unwavering support of the Council, it would have been impossible to complete the historical round of negotiations in 2022 and all its twists and turns, for example. We made the strong and powerful voices of social welfare and healthcare professionals heard as part of the ‘meidän kaikkien asia’ (‘this concerns us all’) campaign.
The results were excellent, as we received historically high raises (page in Finnish) that were almost double the raises granted in the industrial exports sector. And now the latest statistics show that wages are increasing (page in Finnish) even more than we anticipated. Together, we can truly accomplish anything! I am tremendously proud of us all in 2025 as well!
But that was not the end of our struggles! The Finnish Government has since implemented and continues to implement numerous measures to weaken the rights of employees.
Last year, we fought against the export-driven labour market model with determination as, if implemented, it would have placed female-dominated fields into a never ending pay gap. We also succeeded in this fight thanks to our dedication and, in the Parliament processing, the act was changed and, in the future, it is the duty of the National Conciliator to promote pay equality between genders.
We are also facing the next round of negotiations, during which the willpower of us Tehy members will be needed once again.
So do not hesitate to run as a candidate in the Tehy election! We need you – your voice, opinions, thinking, consideration. Your action and communication with other Tehy members and colleagues.
The work of Tehy Council members is not just long meetings and agendas. It is about building collegial group spirit and fighting for better wages and working conditions for nurses. About exchanging ideas and establishing fruitful friendships between Council members.
We will also provide you with training to carry you forward in your job as a decision-maker. This, too, we will carry out together.
Read more about the Tehy election, including how you can run as a candidate and how we support the candidates, on our election website.