Few workplaces have an equality plan Gender divisions play no visible role in the daily handling of matters concerning working life and trade union organisations, says Tuula Kallio, a member of the Executive Board of the Finnish graphical workers union who works in Tampere. This is regrettable, as women experience difficulties in securing access to training and men are promoted more easily than women. This lack of equality is due to the backward attitudes of men. The employer representatives are mostly men. However, some of the blame also rests with women who do not sufficiently appreciate their own skills.
Men are more courageous than women in accepting new tasks.
Although national law requires workplaces with more than 30 employees to prepare an equality plan, most of them have compiled no such plan. The powers that be do not regard this matter as one of primary importance. The consequences of rationalisation by Kallio's own employer, Alma Media, have been especially severe. When the focus of investment was shifted to new media, there was a debate on the role of foreign ownership. NGU studies how to respond to North American capital Finn Erik Thoresen has been the NGU chairman for the last six years and leader of the Norwegian affiliated union since 1991.