Sustainable Work Environment — Nordic Labour Journal

Guy Ryder: The multinational system must understand the importance of work issues

(Jun 28, 2019) The ILO has celebrated its centenary. In a jubilant tweet from Geneva, Guy Ryder summed up the 108th session of the International Labour Conference: “We had big ambitions for this Conference, and it was a record breaker in every sense. We emerged with a new Convention, a new Recommendation and a Declaration that will take us forward to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Closing down the Faroes to attract more tourists

(Jun 27, 2019) The Faroe Islands are closing down. Damaged nature will be fixed. The Prime Minister for the 18 green islands in the North Atlantic is being very clear: No tourists for an entire weekend. But the Faroes were not closed down. It was all a well-prepared PR stunt to attract more tourists to the country.

Sustainable tourism in Åland – no Coca-Cola or Norwegian salmon

(Jun 27, 2019) Åland was first to implement the Green Key certification scheme for restaurants in Finland. Among the pioneers was Pub Stallhagen, where chef Johanna Dahlgren has done a huge job both as an inspirator and educator.

Åland: many travellers, far fewer overnighters

(Jun 27, 2019) Åland has just under 30 000 citizens, and more than two million annual visitors. This must mean the place is literally swarming with travellers, right?

Nordic region leading by example

(Apr 12, 2019) The most important thing the Nordics can do to contribute to the ILO is to lead by example. That was the message from the Director-General Guy Ryder during the fourth and final conference on the Future of Work, held in Reykjavik.

ILO and the Nordics: At the frontline in fight for the future of work

(Apr 12, 2019) There was a positive atmosphere as the ILO Director-General and representatives from the Nordic ministries of labour gathered in Iceland to discuss the challenges around the future of work. The Nordic model has proved to be adaptable to rapid and major change before, and the development of new technology is something people can actually control.

The changing nature of cooperation

(Feb 15, 2019) Nordic labour markets have seen major and at times dramatic changes at the start of 2019. In Sweden 4,500 employment service workers have been made redundant, in Finland sick leave levels are rising and Denmark now has two rather than three trade union confederations.

Cooperation brings better results

(Sep 07, 2018) Increased internationalisation demands better cooperation across national and traditional borders. New methods and ways of thinking need input from many sources. This concerns the art world as well as the fight against criminals. But how do you create good results?

A labour market with fair competition and conditions

(Sep 07, 2018) The Nordics and the Baltics have taken the fight against the shadow economy one step forward. The Nordic Undeclared Work Project has allowed control and inspection agencies the chance to get to know each other.

Cooperating to stop a race to the bottom

(Apr 19, 2018) Not everything is perfect, but the Nordics are doing some good things, getting down to business, highlighting problems, considering the measures, wanting to learn from others without erasing political divides. This is also the case when discussing labour market inclusion, #metoo and work-related crime. Broad cooperation aims to make sure things point in the right direction.

Are the Nordic welfare states prepared for crises?

(Nov 16, 2016) Do the Nordics spend too little money on Nordic welfare? Yes, believes Iceland’s Minister for Nordic Cooperation Eygló Harðardóttir. She sees great opportunities for more welfare cooperation, and supports a proposed Nordic welfare forum and a system for common welfare indicators, to be better prepared for future crises.

Why are working life researchers so reluctant to talk about the future?

(Oct 23, 2015) This summer Ann Bergman really managed to ignite the debate on working life research. In an article in the Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies she asked why working life researchers are so uninterested in the future.

Do we have a true image of the new working life?

(Oct 23, 2015) For many years there has been talk about the new working life, where work is more about doing something meaningful than about making money. But are we really seeing the emergence of a new type of independent worker who feels collective agreements and permanent contracts are nothing but obstacles?

Women could determine the Nordic model’s future

(Dec 12, 2014) A high employment rate for women is crucial to the future of the Nordic model. This was the main message from the OECD’s Mark Pearson as the report ‘The Nordic Model – challenged but capable of reform’, was being discussed at the meeting of Nordic labour ministers.

Social scientists must guide us out of the crisis

(Oct 15, 2014) "There is a fire of resentment burning across Europe, and there’s an urgent need to calm tensions. Social scientists need to get involved. Dogmatic economists have been allowed to dominate the debate for too long," says Maurizio Ferrera, Professor at the University of Milan.

More sick leave among ‘double-shift’ women than men

(Nov 07, 2013) When a woman has her second child while holding down an equally demanding job as the father, she is at twice the risk of going off sick compared to her husband, according to a new report on sick leave among women, presented in Sweden on 5 November.

How about a personal trainer - for your brain?

(Apr 15, 2012) The Nordic Labour Journal can now add another job to the list of new occupations: ‘personal brainer’. The title holder is Finnish Reidar Wasenius. He recently made a 20 years old dream come true and opened a training centre for brains - BRIIM Center - in Helsinki.

Minister of Labour Lauri Ihalainen: Improved competence will safeguard Finland’s future

(Nov 11, 2011) Finland’s new government has ambitious goals for improving people’s level of competence. Finns will handle structural changes and future challenges better through improved education and adult training.

Finland's next government will make people work longer

(Mar 07, 2011) Recent year's attempts to increase Finland's pension age from 63 to 65 have slowly gained momentum. The actual pension age has increased following the 2004 pension reform and now stands just over 60.4 years. The number 65 has turned into a hot political potato.

Working hours: a hot topic for the Labour Inspection Authority director

(Feb 11, 2011) Ingrid Finboe Svendsen's dream is to create a popular drive for a better work environment. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority has often been in the spotlight for dealing with cases of social dumbing, but the Authority's director wants to showcase the full scope of what the organisation does. And this is where Facebook comes in.