Katja Lehto running for deputy secretary general for European trade unions
The Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS) is endorsing Katja Lehto-Komulainen, Finland, for deputy secretary general of ETUC.
Written by Jakob Esmann
The head of international affairs of the Finnish confederation of trade unions (SAK), Katja Lehto-Komulainen, is running for the position as deputy secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The position got vacant after Veronica Nilsson from Sweden has chosen to step down from January, and the Nordic unions endorse Lehto-Komulainen for this position.
“I am honoured that an organisation representing almost nine million employees in the Nordic countries has proposed me as its candidate, and I now hope to have an opportunity to work for the benefit of all employees in Europe,” Lehto-Komulainen says.
The Nordic confederation of trade unions (NFS) underlines the importance of having a new Nordic candidate on the position. Especially because the Nordic countries have held this position so far. The appointment of a new deputy secretary general, therefore, can be seen as an extraordinary “by-election” until the next ordinary congress in 2019. A Nordic trade unionist on this position means that Nordic opinions will still be represented and heard in the highest level of ETUC.
Here, Katja Lehto-Komulainen is a candidate with the necessary experience and knowledge. She has worked with labour market politics and unions from a Nordic, European, and international perspective. In fact, she even worked within the International Labour Organisation, ILO. Also, Katja Lehto-Komulainen speaks fluent English, Swedish/Scandinavian, French, Russian and Spanish in addition to her mother tongue, Finnish. Such skills are important personal qualifications for such a position besides her political and union-related experiences.
Most probably, the ETUC executive committee will appoint a new deputy secretary general on a meeting on 14-15 December.
Read more at NFS’s website here (in English)