Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees

Infobox Union
name= TCO
country= Sweden
affiliation= ITUC, ETUC, NFS
members= 1.3 million
full_name= Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees
native_name= Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation


founded= 1931
current=
head=
dissolved_date=
dissolved_state=
merged_into=
office= Stockholm, Sweden
people= Sture Nordh, president
website= [http://www.tco.se/ www.tco.se]
footnotes= The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees ("Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation" or TCO) is a national trade union centre, the umbrella organisation for eighteen trade unions in Sweden that organise professional and other qualified employees within both the private and the public sectors. The affiliated trade unions gather in total about 1.3 million employees.

This makes the organization the second biggest of Sweden's three major trade union confederations. The biggest, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation ("Landsorganisationen i Sverige" or LO), mainly organize "blue collar" workers, and has links to the Swedish Social Democratic Party. By contrast, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees has no connections to any political party in Sweden.

The current president is Sture Nordh, who took office in 1999. He is a former president of the Swedish Union of Local Government Officers ("SKTF").

The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees traces its origins back to the Confederation of Employees ("De Anställdas Centralorganisation" or DACO) founded in 1931. An organization for public sector employees called the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees was founded in 1937. The two organizations merged into one in 1944, taking the name of the latter. After World War II membership in the affiliated unions rose rapidly, from 100 000 in 1944 to more than half a million in the mid sixties.

Swedish unions have traditionally had a high organisation rate. Today about 85 percent of "white collar" workers are members of a trade union, setting Sweden apart from most European countries, where "blue collar" workers have been the main target for unionization.

TCO Labeling

TCO Development, a company owned by TCO, maintains an international environmental labeling system, TCO Certification. The label addresses safety issues such as "emissions, ergonomics, ecology, and energy" for computers, monitors and printers, as well as cell phones and furniture.

TCO claims that 50% of displays worldwide are labeled with the TCO label.

Affiliates

#Association of Forestal and Agricultural Employees ("Skogs- och Lantbrukstjänstemannaförbundet")
#Association of Health Professionals ("Vårdförbundet")
#Federation of Professional Musicians ("Sveriges Yrkesmusikers Förbund" or Symf)
#TCO Development ("TCO Development") [http://www.tcodevelopment.com/ TCO Development (official site)]
#Teachers' Union ("Lärarförbundet")
#Union for Theatre, Artists and Media ("Teaterförbundet")
#Union of Chemist's Employees ("Farmaciförbundet")
#Union of Civil Servants ("ST", formerly known as "Statstjänstemannaförbundet")
#Union of Civilian Employees in the Defence Forces ("Försvarets Civila Tjänstemannaförbund")
#Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry ("Sif", formerly known as "Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet")
#Union of Commercial Salaried Employees ("Tjänstemannaförbundet HTF")
#Union of Customs and Coast Guard Officers ("TULL-KUST")
#Financial Sector Union ("Finansförbundet")
#Union of Insurance Employees ("Försäkringstjänstemannaförbundet")
#Union of Journalists ("Journalistförbundet")
#Union of Local Government Officers ("SKTF", formerly known as "Sveriges Kommunaltjänstemannaförbund")
#Union of People's High School Teachers ("Svenska Folkhögskolans Lärarförbund")
#Union of Scientists and Researchers ("Doktoranders och Forskares Förbund")
#Swedish Police Union ("Polisförbundet")

See also

*Swedish Federation of Salaried Employees in Industry and Services ("PTK")
*Swedish Public Employees' Negotiation Council ("OFR")
*Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations ("SACO")

External links

* [http://www.tco.se/ Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees] - Official site
* [http://www.tcodevelopment.com/ TCO product labeling] .