The Finnish building workers' union Rakennusliitto held its 24th Congress from 24-26 May 2019 at the Marina Congress Center in Helsinki, Finland under the slogan of “Work and Safety.”
Matti Harjuniemi, who was re-elected as President opened the Congress stating that workers were not alone. “The most important thing is the spirit of communion and understanding that builders are not alone. Together they are a strong and determined actor who is committed to promoting the living conditions of workers in the construction industry. ”
In addition to Harjuniemi, Kimmo Palonen was elected as Vice Chairman of the union. Palonen replaced Kyösti Suokas who retired at the Congress after many years with the union. In addition, Jari Renlund was elected President of the Federal Council and Tommi Rönö as Vice Chair of the Federal Council.
In his solidarity speech to the Congress, BWI's general secretary Ambet Yuson addressed the many challenges facing the world with geopolitical instability, climate change and right-wing populism – and the power of global solidarity to fight for a better world. He thanked Rakennussliitto for their strong support to trade unions in other parts of the world, such as the support to occupational health and safety trainings and negotiations with multinational corporations in Southern Africa. "Your solidarity support to unions in Southern Africa has created new unions in various infrastructure projects under multinational contractors. Thank you Rakennusliito for your solidarity," he said.