Name
Petro Julkunen
What do you do for a living and in which organisation?
Chief physicist at Kuopio University Hospital KUH and professor at University of Eastern Finland.
Why did you become an employee representative?
I had interest in the topic. My predecessor had progressed in their career from a shop steward to an employer’s representative and recommended me for the role. I also had some experience in representative activities. It made sense to become a shop steward, so I could take employee issues in the right direction.
How did you become an employee representative?
Through representative elections
How long were you an employee representative?
A couple of years
How long were you planning to be one?
Longer than that
What have you achieved so far?
At a collective level, we managed to increase on-call allowance, establish fixed-term employments and push for the speedy eating during working hours (joutuisa ruokailu työajalla in Finnish) to be equal for all employee groups who are coequal in this matter.
What have you not achieved?
Lunchtime was not agreed upon then, although it is now.
Why?
The employer thought the General Collective Agreement for Municipal Personnel (KVTES) prohibited it, although this wasn’t the case.
What was an easy aspect of your role?
The employees I represented.
What was a hard aspect of your role?
Gaining the understanding of the highest level of management. I believe that there was also a lack of respect from management towards shop stewards, at least when I was one.
What was the best aspect of your role?
Shop steward trainings.
What was the worst aspect of your role?
Figuratively speaking, "banging my head against the wall" on certain issues. In some cases, the employer started delaying a process by calling for various reports.
What support do you get or need from your negotiation organisation?
I got everything I needed. Peer support for shop stewards, advise from the union lawyer and the training courses helped a lot.
To whom would you recommend the role of an employee representative?
For those interested in representing and negotiating for employees and those who want to be involved in maintaining the balance of power between employers and employees. It’s partly about ensuring democratic principles are followed.
To whom would you not?
For those who are only pursuing their own interests or so-called agents of the employer. These are not the right reasons to apply for the role.
What keeps you busy during the day?
Work, studies, hobbies and family.
What keeps you up at night?
I sleep just fine.
What is a hot topic at work right now?
The reform on wellbeing services counties and the cost savings measures it entails.
What should be discussed?
Streamlining the administrative structure.