The shop steward elections are approaching – this is the way a shop steward is selected

“Shop stewards don’t operate on their own, however: it’s a joint effort by the entire workforce”, says PAM’s organisation specialist Pinja Saarenkoski, who stresses how important it is to belong to a trade union.

“Employees themselves are the best experts when it comes to their own job, and belonging to a union shows they want to and are able to influence where their job is going. Organised workers define the objectives that they see as necessary and that they are prepared to take forward together, supported by their shop steward.”

So what do you have to do if you want to elect a shop steward at your workplace?

“First of all you need a small group of keen employees who are PAM members to form an election committee”, Saarenkoski advises.

“These people begin by getting the ball rolling and setting a timetable. Once the timetable is known, the election committee announces the time for announcing candidacies, meaning the time within which a shop steward can be proposed.”

That’s how it gets going. If there is only one candidate for shop steward, he or she is designated directly. If there are several candidates, the election committee organises an election.

Being a shop steward suits people who want to listen, advise and represent employees at their workplace and actively improve interest representation.
“It all comes together if the shop steward is interesting in learning new things and working to promote matters of common interest.”