The UJF has been involved in preparatory work carried out by a steering group on the purview of the new national labour confederation since it began a year ago.The union has wanted to find out whether the confederation would provide its membership with improved scope for influencing working conditions and labour legislation.UJF president and steering group member Hanne Aho says that the new confederation’s procedures and aims are now starting to crystalize.The UJF’s objectives include fairer labour legislation that takes account of new forms of work and the self-employed. I think that the new confederation will support us in these objectives.The steering group is unanimous in its vision of the administrative model of the new confederation, its rules, decision-making and management structure, financial base and membership subscription for unions, priorities and division of labour.The initiative for the new labour confederation is supported of all unions affiliated to the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK), two member unions of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava), and ten currently non-aligned trade unions.The aim is that the new confederation’s charter of foundation will be signed at the beginning of June, and that it will be up and running in early 2017.