Selecting a HED
In principle, all the persons represented by the personnel representative participate in the election of the personnel representative. The way in which the elections are carried out, to some extent, depends on which representative is being elected.
The election, position and duties of a shop steward are based on agreements between employer and employee unions. When a shop steward is being elected at a workplace for the first time, it is good to be familiarized in advance with the relevant regulations of the applicable collective agreement. It is a good idea to discuss the matter also with the employer.
The term of office of a shop steward is basically two years.
Elections are usually organized by the previous personnel representative or staff association. If no shop steward has previously been elected for the workplace, the occupational safety and health representative or anyone else can take action.
When the employees have decided on the election of a shop steward at the workplace, the following matters must be taken into account:
The elected person must be a member of a union in accordance with the collective agreement and familiar with the conditions of the workplace.
It is important that all employees are aware that a shop steward will be elected for the workplace and that members of the union have the opportunity to stand as candidates.
It is advisable to check the relevant regulations of the applicable collective agreement and, if necessary, contact the union to determine who may participate in the election of a shop steward. In some collective agreements, all senior salaried employees may participate in the election of a representative, but in the public sector and according to the national collective agreement for the IT sector, for example, only employees belonging to the union have the right to vote in the election.
When announcing the election meeting or elections to be held, an announcement must also be made on how the candidates will be announced and where the announcements will be taken. The candidates are appointed by the personnel or personnel group specified in the collective agreement. The candidate must have given a consent stating the position for which they are proposed.
If only one candidate has been nominated for the position, their selection will be confirmed. The times and venues of the elections organized at the workplace must be agreed with the employer no later than14 days before the elections. The voting can generally also be carried out electronically. For example, the YTN election machine canbe used in YTN’s HED elections.
Electronic voting is usually the most practical option. It is worth reading YTN’s instructions on the matter.
When the shop steward has been elected, the personnel, the employer and the negotiation organization are informed of the result:
JUKO – www.juko.fi (Notification on a new union steward)
If you need help with matters related to the selection of a representative, please contact the Customer Service of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.
A person who works as a senior salaried employee in the company may be elected as an employee representative and deputy representative. The Act does not take a more detailed position on the implementation of the selection procedure.
The general recommendation is that the election of the employee representative is handled at an election meeting. Before the election meeting, there has to be an active employee among the personnel to start organizing the election. They shall place an invitation to the election meeting at least 14 days before the meeting. The invitation is sent to all employees represented by the employee representative to be elected.
At the election meeting, the candidates for the employee representative position will introduce themselves and, if necessary, a vote is taken on who is elected as the employee representative and who is elected as the deputy employee representative. Closed voting is generally recommended. If there is only one candidate for each position, they will be selected directly.
Electronic voting is usually the most practical option. It is worth reading YTN’s instructions on the matter.
Regardless of the method of election, minutes of the election meeting must be drawn up. When the election of the employee representative is clear, the personnel, the employer and the negotiation organization are notified of the result:
In occupational health and safety elections, employees elect their representatives for occupational health and safety cooperation.
If the workplace has at least 10 employees, the employees elect an occupational safety and health representative and two deputy representatives. The choice of a representative can also be made at smaller workplaces.
The election of the occupational safety and health representative and deputy representatives is organized by the employees. All employees at the workplace must have the opportunity to stand as candidates and vote in the elections. The election must not cause unnecessary harm to the operations of the workplace, and the employer must not make it difficult to organize the election.
The organizers first agree on the time and place of the election with the employer. All employees must be notified of the election at least 14 days before the election.
The occupational safety and health representative candidate who has received the most votes in the election is elected as the occupational safety and health representative. In the election of deputy representatives, the two deputy candidates with the most votes shall be deputy representatives. The selections can also be made by agreement, such as at an election meeting, if the persons entitled to vote agree on the procedure and the persons to be selected. The personnel must also be notified of the election meeting 14 days in advance.
More detailed instructions on the election of an occupational health and safety representative can be found on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s website.
When the election of an occupational safety delegate is clear, the personnel, the employer and the negotiation organization are informed of the result:
If you need help with matters related to the selection of a representative, please contact the Customer Service of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.
When electing administrative and EWC representatives, the employer and the personnel have quite extensive opportunities to agree on matters related to the selection and position of the representative. In case of specific questions for individual cases, please contact the Customer Service of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.
Keep your information on HED up to date
Keep your information on HED up to date to ensure timely communication.
The information must be updated separately in the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland’s register, the YTN register and the JUKO register. The information is not currently updated from one register to another.
Notify about HED-selection via the form.