Trade Union JHL 2023

Päivi Niemi-Laine continues as President of Trade Union JHL, Håkan Ekström and Saila Ruuth were selected as Chief Executive Officers

The 120 representatives of Trade Union JHL’s Union Council selected a President and two Chief Executive Officers for the union.

The sitting President Päivi Niemi-Laine continues at the helm of the union along with Chief Executive Officer Håkan Ekström. The Union Council also named Ekström as the President’s deputy. Saila Ruuth, a new Chief Executive Officer, was selected to replace Teija Asara-Laaksonen who is retiring.

Päivi Niemi-Laine has been at the service of Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL since 2009. She started at JHL as a Head of Research and Public Policy. From 2012 to 2016 she worked as the union’s Chief Executive Officer and Vice President. Niemi-Laine was selected as Trade Union JHL’s President in 2016.

Håkan Ekström originally started working for JHL’s predecessor, Municipal Workers’ Union, as a Regional Officer in Southwest Finland in 1992. From 2001 to 2016 he first worked as a Bargaining Official, then as a Bargaining Manager and Bargaining Manager in Charge.  Ekström was selected as Trade Union JHL’s Chief Executive Officer in 2016.

At the moment, Saila Ruuth works as a State Secretary to the Minister of Social Affairs and Health. Before that, she worked in the Industrial Union as a Specialist on Working Environment and Social Affairs. She has previously worked for instance at the Ministry of Education and Culture, earnings-related pension insurance company Ilmarinen, and in Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund. Ruuth is a Master of Political Sciences.

The selections were made on Tuesday 7 June in Helsinki, in the assembly meeting of JHL’s new Union Council.

More information:
President Päivi Niemi-Laine
010 7703 295

Chief Executive Officer Håkan Ekström
040 828 2865

Chief Executive Officer Saila Ruuth
040 7466 441

Communications Manager Kristiina Ahonen
040 530 1774

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