Helsinki (16.04.2015 - Heikki Jokinen)

The Social Democrats emerged as clear winners in the Industrial Union TEAM elections. Their candidates received 73.3 per cent of the votes. The share of votes for the candidates of the Left Alliance was 26.7 per cent.

These elections were the first for TEAM, as the union came into existence in 2010 following a merger of the Chemical Workers' Union and Media Union. Now the 36 000 members with the right to vote have elected 155 delegates to the union congress which will be held in June.

The total number of candidates was 636. Only these latter two political groups put forward candidates. Both also had some nonaligned candidates on their lists.

The election turnout was 37.3 per cent. This is less than in the 2008 elections of the Chemical Workers' Union when more than half the membership voted.

In connection with the merger of the unions in 2010 it was agreed that the Social Democrats would get 70 per cent of the seats and the remaining 30 per cent would go to the Left Alliance. The election result now means that the Social Democrats will enjoy a bigger majority in the union.

The result can be compared to the Chemical Workers' Union elections in 2008. Back then the Left Alliance got 31 per cent of all the union votes. Now their share of votes in the TEAM sector of basic chemicals was 33 per cent and in the sector of plastics and chemical products 20 per cent.

The best sectors for the Social Democrats were salaried employees in the graphics industry, where the Left Alliance fielded no candidates at all, the oil, gas and petrochemical products sector with 81.2 per cent of the votes and the textile industry maintenance workers with 79.9 per cent of votes.

The Left Alliance got their best results in the rubber industry (51 per cent), newspaper delivery (49.2 per cent) and in the footwear and leather industry (35.2 per cent).

TEAM chairperson Timo Vallittu says that on the basis of the election result the social democrats’ constructive and co-operation orientated way of looking after members' interests have followed the wishes of members.

He is, however, unsatisfied with the voting turnout. ”It was not as high as we expected and the union must find out the reasons for the low turnout.”

The leader of the Left Alliance candidate list, director of the TEAM development department Hannu Siltala says that the major challenge for both political groups is how to get members to take more interest in trade union work and to keep union density high.

The TEAM congress will be held in June. Current Chairperson Timo Vallittu is going to retire. The Social Democratic group of TEAM has already selected their candidate for new chairperson.

She is Heli Puura, an experienced trade union lawyer who is now working as a chief for social affairs at the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees STTK.