Jari Jokinen, Chief Executive Director of the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, is TEK's candidate in the upcoming election of the President of Akava.
TEK's board unanimously decided in its meeting on 19 June 2022 to support Jokinen as he stands for the Akava presidency. Jokinen is currently the first Vice-President of Akava. The new President will be elected in the union meeting of Akava on 14 November 2022.
“Akava has developed and grown much stronger in the 2010s. With this change of presidency, we at Akava have yet another opportunity to implement reforms so that our operations and our advocacy would meet the expectations of our members and the requirements of the 2030s,” says Jokinen, outlining the policy.
Jokinen's election topics are based on a list of common causes that need to be addressed in the upcoming presidential term. The list is divided into two parts: new approaches and advocacy objectives.
According to Jokinen, the list he has compiled is based on extensive discussions with representatives of the Akava community.
“We want Akava to be a strong social builder. Social advocacy has become even more challenging. In the future, Akava will have to further clarify its priorities and pursue its objectives with greater determination. At the same time, we also acknowledge that not everyone is always happy with Akava’s advocacy priorities.”
Jokinen points out that the opinions and demands of the members towards unions are changing, and Akava must keep up with this development.
“Successful advocacy requires new, bold moves that everyone may not accept at first. Getting Akava’s message across requires a united front when the debate is heated. Having a President with a social media site is not enough, but the approved policy has to be promoted on a wide front. Public debate is a team sport.”
- Read more about the election of the President in Akava’s news article (in Finnish).