Ihalainen to continue in leadership of Finland's largest labour organisation

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The Congress of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) on Tuesday unanimously re-elected Lauri Ihalainen as the organisation’s president. Ihalainen ran unopposed.
      Matti Huutonen will continue as the organisation’s vice president and Tuire Santamäki-Vuori will continue as chair of the SAK’s General Council.
     
Ihalainen is beginning his fourth term at the helm of the SAK. He rose to the SAK leadership already before his first full term, when his predecessor Pertti Viinanen left in 1990 before his five-year term was up.
      After 16 years leading the SAK, the 59-year-old Ihalainen is the longest-serving leader of a Finnish labour union confederation. He will reach retirement age before the new term is up, and could leave the post in mid-term.
      However, he would not say definitely what he plans to do.
     
The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) is the largest and oldest labour union confederation in Finland.
      The members include 21 trade unions in industry, the public sector, transport, and private service companies, with a combined membership of more than a million.
      Just under half of the SAK’s members work in industry, about a third for private service providers, and one in four in the public sector.


Links:
  SAK website:

Helsingin Sanomat