Jenni Karsio Continues as Talentia’s President
The Union Council of Talentia, the Union of Professional Social Workers, convened in Helsinki on November 23–24, 2024, and unanimously re-elected Jenni Karsio as its President.
Jenni Karsio is a licensed social worker and holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. Over the past four years, she has led Talentia through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to regional welfare authorities. During her leadership, Talentia played a key role in historic labor actions that secured a long-sought-after 20-year pay program for municipal and welfare sectors.
“We are likely facing the most challenging times in Talentia’s history. Finland is undergoing a massive paradigm shift, including the dismantling of the welfare state. This strategy not only entails a significant deterioration in the situation of disadvantaged people but also the erosion of the professional groups that serve them. At the same time, civil society is being silenced by making organizational activities increasingly difficult,” said Karsio.
During the upcoming four-year term, Karsio will guide the union and its profession through major legislative reforms, including a comprehensive revision of the Social Welfare Professionals Act and updates to the Social Welfare and Child Welfare Acts. A difficult spring negotiation season is also anticipated.
“The government has so far implemented 24 legislative changes that significantly weaken the position of workers. Next up in December is the enactment of an export-driven labor market model, which will prevent the female-dominated social sector from overcoming wage disparities. Wage gaps will widen even further. At the same time, significant changes to protective work are being considered, restricting the labor actions of our sector,” Karsio noted.
“At Talentia, we do not settle for the prevailing circumstances but work for a better social sector and society. Human dignity, equality, and social justice are my core values. They form the foundation of my efforts to advocate for highly educated social professionals and build a better society. In an increasingly individualistic world, trade unions remain one of the few collective actors committed to working together for shared goals and interests,” Karsio concluded.
New Leadership for Talentia’s Union Council
The meeting also elected new leadership for Talentia’s Union Council. Riina Karjalainen was chosen as President, with Terhi Tahvanainen as Vice President.
The Union Council will continue its sessions tomorrow, November 24, 2024, to elect a new board, decide on membership fees, and outline the organization’s strategic and financial directions for 2025. It will also set negotiation goals for the upcoming collective agreement negotiations in the spring.
Updates from Talentia’s union meetings can be followed on Talentia’s social media channels throughout the weekend.
This news has been translated from Finnish to English by AI assistance.
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