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“We won’t need to weaken the degree of influence that we have today when Nordea becomes a European Company. The Directive is very clear on this point. Our aim is to develop co-determination even more and to make it possible for our non-Nordic colleagues to exert influence too”.
So says Bertel Finskas (picture), who is President of the Nordea Union Board (NUB) and one of four trade union representatives on the Board of Nordea.
Bertel Finskas is a trade union veteran. He began his career at the old Sundsvallsbanken in 1967 and has experienced a number of mergers, culminating in the formation of Nordea in 2000. He took up his first trade union post in 1976 and has now worked as a full-time trade union official for 20 years.
The first cross-border contacts were made when the former Nordbanken was merged with Merita in 1997.
“That is when we began working with our Finnish comrades. This is an ongoing “work in progress,” says Bertel.
He emphasises the importance of getting to know your trade union colleagues in the other countries and of allocating sufficient time to this. This makes the process a lot easier and helps to avoid misunderstandings.
“A precondition for achieving a good result is that we can co-operate, and this is not something that happens automatically all by itself,” he says.
Nordea Union Board, NUB
The NUB is the foremost body for cross-border trade union co-operation within Nordea. It is a joint trade union board at the Nordic level that is made up of three representatives from each of the four Nordic countries.
The NUB holds six two-day meetings per year and has telephone meetings every fortnight in the intervening periods. An NUB seminar is arranged every year.
The NUB addresses trade union issues, agreements and strategies of a cross-border nature. Each of the 12 members of the NUB has his or her own area of responsibility. Bertel Finskas became the President in August 2004.
Under the NUB there are several groups for co-operation on a variety of issues such as equality, the work environment and information.
The trade unions within Nordea have the following channels for exerting influence on the employer:
Board representation
A trade union representative from each country has a seat on the Nordea Board. At present these are Bertel Finskas, Sweden, Rauni Söderlund, Finland, Liv Haug, Norway and Nils Kruse, Denmark.
The Board meets once a month. The trade union representatives meet before the Board meetings in order to prepare.
Group Council
The Group Council is a body for consultation and information. The trade unions have two representatives from each country. The employer appoints different representatives depending on the issue concerned. The Group Council is led by the Nordea Group’s HR Director.
The Group Council meets four times a year and can be convened over and above this when necessary. It provides a forum for the discussion of Group-wide issues, but not for negotiations.
One of the aims of the Group Council is to encourage dialogue between the management and trade union representatives in order to create a productive work environment and strengthen the competitiveness of the Group.
Consultative Committees
The main focus of the contacts between the parties lies in the Consultative Committees (CCs). At present there are around 10 such committees within the various business and executive areas.
Negotiations on various cross-border issues are conducted in these committees. The aim is to reach binding agreements. Examples of issue taken up in the CCs include integration projects, business strategies and new technology.
“These are our most important bodies. This where we have the right to negotiate across national borders. This is unique,” says Bertel Finskas.
The agreement on CCs was reached in 2001. The committees meet when necessary and consist of representatives based in the operational areas to which the negotiations relate.
Negotiating Committee
This is where negotiations on overriding Group issues take place. Matters on which the Consultative Committees cannot agree are also referred to this body. The trade unions have one representative from each country.
At present (November 2004), it is too early to say what the approaching negotiations on employee influence in the European Company Nordea SE will lead to.
The trade unions have not yet drawn up a concrete list of demands, nor has a negotiating team been appointed. The idea is that representatives of the employees in all the EEA countries where Nordea SE has operations or subsidiaries should be included in this Special Negotiating Body, SNB.
“It is important that our colleagues in all of the countries feel that they are represented in the negotiations. Our aim is to develop and extend our influence. My understanding is that the employer interprets the Directive in the same way as we do. This bodes well for the negotiations,” says Bertel Finskas.
Bengt Rolfer
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