Trade union JHL’s year 2023: Almost 15,000 new members joined the union and serious industrial action began

JHL’s year 2023 was characterised by the Serious Grounds strikes, where labour unions protested against the Government’s cold cutback policy. The trade union concluded several collective agreements and boosted its immigrant activities. Positive development in the members’ earnings could be seen in the union’s finances.

In 2023 JHL faced a government that was hard on employees. JHL and other SAK-affiliated unions responded to the Government’s cold cutback policy first with demonstrations and publicity events and then with strikes. The Serious Grounds campaign rolled on month after month and continued to the year 2024.

Strikes and other events brought much visibility to the trade union and contributed to attracting a great number of new members to JHL. On the other hand, the Serious Grounds campaign took time away from the union’s basic mission and from developing the operations. This could be seen for example in the union’s regional activities.

Dramatic end of the year: A change of President

Trade Union JHL had an unexpected change of President in late 2023. Päivi Niemi-Laine resigned from the post on 23 November, and JHL’s Chief Executive Officer Håkan Ekström took over the President’s tasks. JHL’s Union Council elected Ekström as the new JHL President in February 2024.

The surge to join JHL’s ranks continued

More than 14,500 new members joined Trade Union JHL in 2023. This was not as much as in the record year 2022 but still more than the long-term average. Some reasons that explain the union’s appeal were the strikes for defending the terms and conditions of employment and successfully executed marketing and member recruitment. JHL organised intensive member recruitment weeks when the union was more visible in workplaces, and during those weeks the numbers of joining members were notably higher than the usual weekly level.

Dozens of concluded collective agreement negotiations

JHL had a strong presence at bargaining tables also in 2023. More than 50 collective agreements were concluded during the year. A negotiation result on the terms and conditions of employment or just on pay raises was achieved for example for the state, the church sector, the energy sector, railways, personal assistants and private social services.

Most of the agreements in 2023 were made for two years and will end in spring 2025. The agreed pay raises follow the level of pay raises negotiated in industry sectors in the years 2022 and 2023.

JHL invested in immigrant activities, and the youth forum received the right to speak in the Union Council

One thing to be happy about is that the number of joining members with an immigrant background was higher than in the preceding years. JHL invested in immigrant activities in 2023, with two immigrant activities specialists starting work at JHL in the beginning of the year in January.

A new, regional immigrant network was established in Lapland. JHL also organised for the first time a meeting for the immigrant forum. The forum brings together the JLH employees working with this theme and union actives.

JLH created a brochure that tells people with immigrant background about JHL’s work. The brochure was published in nine languages.

JHL added also more ways for the young to have a say in the union. JHL’s influencing channel for the young, Nuorisofoorumi (Youth Forum), was granted the right to be present and the right to speak in the Union Council. Youth activities were also promoted in JHL Institute’s courses, fairs and events. In the end of the year 2023 the number of young members was notably higher than only a couple of years earlier.

New look in the web and in print products

Trade Union JHL started the year 2023 looking even more fresh as the union’s new visual look was launched in January 2023. The updated look makes JHL’s communications more uniform. It’s based on the familiar main colours orange and red that are accompanied with a few additional colours and a font family.

The new look was rolled out in the web in large scale in April when the completely renewed jhl.fi website opened. The new website is designed to work well also on smartphones. During the year JHL expanded its presence in social media, too, by opening a TikTok account. This new channel has reached especially younger audience. JHL even got its own brand song in 2023. The song is called Mennään samaa matkaa (Let’s journey together).

The members’ improved earnings were reflected in the union’s accounts

The stormy collective bargaining round in 2022 brought many new members to JHL, and that probably still played a role in the trade union’s finances. That collective bargaining round brought also pay raises, which could be seen in JHL’s membership fees revenue. A positive direction can be observed in membership development as well.

JHL’s revenue was not high enough to cover the costs of its operations. What this meant in practice is that JHL spent more money than it managed to collect as membership fees. The trade union used also investment income for financing its operations.

The union has spread its investments in order to keep the risk moderate. Inflation, interest rates and wars in Israel, Ukraine and more disturbed the global economy in 2023 as well. This inevitably affected also JHL’s finances through its investments.

– Because the membership fees revenue was not high enough to cover the costs of operations, investment income was used. In the end, thanks to a reasonably good year in investments, the financial year shows a surplus, states Director of Finance Anne Karjalainen.