The Association of Nordic Engineers (ANE) is a cooperation organisation between trade unions in the Nordic region. In addition to Finland, its member organisations come from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Through its affiliates, ANE represents more than 500,000 Nordic engineers belonging to trade unions.
In its meeting on 9 October in Copenhagen, the board of ANE elected CEO of TEK Jari Jokinen as President of ANE. The term of office is two years.
TEK is a member of ANE through Engineers Finland. In addition to TEK, Engineers Finland is made up of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, Tekniska Föreningen i Finland TFiF and DIFF – Ingenjörerna i Finland.
On its website, ANE states that its primary objective is to promote the attractiveness of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). ANE also aims to strengthen the role of engineers in the transition to a sustainable society and advocate for good working conditions.
Jari Jokinen, how does the work of ANE affect the lives of TEK members?
ANE has three main tasks: EU-level advocacy, Nordic cooperation, and exchanging knowledge and positive experiences.
Akava does a good job of influencing the EU on labour legislation, but less so on technology and the engineering profession. ANE is active in this area and its work also benefits TEK.
ANE promotes engineering and its appreciation and gives engineers an even stronger voice. We work together on a united Nordic front.
Among other things, we conduct salary benchmarking with the Nordic countries through ANE. In terms of salaries, Norway and Denmark are in the lead, with the rest of us following behind. We can use these comparisons to help us determine whether or not the salaries in Finland are at the right level.
How does your presidency of ANE benefit TEK members?
Whatever I do for the good of ANE is also good for TEK. Now, our voice is even more powerful than before.
At ANE, we are looking for ways to make Nordic engineering organisations even more useful for their members.
What is your guiding star as president?
Influencing EU policy, in particular – I want to make more room for it. Denmark will hold the Presidency of the EU Council next autumn. At yesterday's [9.10.] ANE board meeting, we heard from the State Secretary of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the upcoming programme [i.e. the priorities of the presidency during its six-month term]. We discussed how the programme could highlight education and skills, for example in STEM fields.
I also want us to conduct more Nordic benchmarking, in terms of income and otherwise. This will provide a factual basis for the Finnish pay debate, for example, where it sometimes seems that perceptions override facts.
Why is Nordic cooperation important?
The number one theme here is influencing EU policy. Nordic societies have quite a lot in common, for example in their education systems. We want to highlight the green transition and equality.
I value our cooperation. Our organisations are different. We can get good ideas on how to develop our own activities.
What is the hot topic right now among Nordic engineering organisations?
Artificial intelligence, circular economy, competitiveness and equality in STEM fields. For example, TEK’s recent research findings concerning the unexplained pay gap between men and women in tech raised interest among the organisations from other countries at our meeting yesterday [9.10.].