CHAIRPERSON’S UPDATE
Dear Comrades,
Summer is nearing its end, and the daily grind is about to begin. In August, we will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the SDP with a ceremonial seminar at Paasitorni. Have you remembered to register?
This fall, negotiations in the export industry will commence. Already in August, there will be the traditional economic review by the Bank of Finland for negotiators in the export sectors. The technology industry collective agreements expire at the end of November, and the chemical industry agreements at the turn of the year. The policies of the Orpo-Purra government have led to expectations that this round of negotiations will be particularly challenging, due in part to the expansion of local collective labour agreements and the push to enshrine the export model into law. It’s anticipated that these negotiations will also impact next spring’s municipal elections. Some unions have already declared the elections as ”Wage Elections”. The aftermath of the 2007 ”Sari the Nurse” negotiations seems to have been forgotten by right-wing politicians. There are fewer of us who were involved in those negotiations still active, but a few remain, and unfortunately, the signs look quite similar.
The fall will largely be spent preparing for the municipal elections. In June, the district meeting named the first 105 municipal election candidates and granted the district board the authority to complete the list. We are actively seeking interested individuals, and the list will be updated throughout the fall. If you’re interested in running as a candidate or know of a potential candidate, please contact our Executive Director Tuomas Finne (tuomas.finne@sdp.fi).
At the same time, we are preparing the district’s organizational strategy to complement the district’s political program. More on this will follow soon. The district board will hold its first meeting on August 27th. In mid-August, there will be a joint summer meeting of the district board and the council group to consider the directions for next fall and winter.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the summer, fraudulent emails were sent in my name, with the intention of getting recipients to order gift cards. If you received such a message, do not respond; it’s best to delete it immediately. I primarily use taru@tarureinikainen.fi as my political email, and occasionally also reinikainentaru@gmail.com and taru.reinikainen@proliitto.fi in exceptional cases. Messages from other addresses are not from me. If a message requests any kind of financial transaction, it’s always wise to verify its authenticity with the relevant person through another communication channel.
Wishing everyone a pleasant end of summer!
Taru Reinikainen
Chairperson
PARTY’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Join us in celebrating the 125th anniversary of our party!
The SDP will mark its 125-year history on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at Paasitorni in Helsinki. The event will begin at 10:00 AM and conclude around 2:00 PM, with coffee being served.
During the event, the fifth volume of SDP’s history, authored by Matti Hannikainen, covering the years 1957–1975, will be released.
In addition to reflecting on the party’s history, the event will also look toward its future. The historical portion of the celebration will focus on the period covered by the newly published history book, with a special emphasis on the comprehensive school reform, a major transformation of the era. This segment will explore how the reform changed schools, education, and Finland as a whole. Speakers for the historical segment include Professor Roope Uusitalo and Professor Emeritus Erno Lehtinen. The event is in Finnish.
Please register for the celebration by August 20th.
MALMI MARKET DAY
Welcome to Ylä-Malmi Market Day on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM! The event will feature a traditional flea market, presentations by local associations, workshops, balloons, and a lively community market atmosphere. Malmi Social Democrats will also be there! We look forward to seeing you!
LAUTTASAARI DAY
Lauttasaari Day and the Venetian Festival will be celebrated again on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at Kasinonranta. From 12:00 to 4:30 PM, the beachfront will be filled with sales and exhibition booths from local businesses and associations, a flea market, street food vendors, and entertainment on the stage for the whole family. The Social Democrats will be there as well, with a tent hosted by the Lauttasaari Social Democrats association. In the evening, from 6:00 to 9:30 PM, the stage will come alive with music under the dusky August sky.
Saara Kuoppala
järjestösuunnittelija
Helsingin Sosialidemokraatit ry