Programme

Arctic Conference 2026 – Workers of the North

The role of trade unions in total preparedness

Interpretation to and from Northern Sámi and English will be available

Monday 14 September 2026 – 12.00 – 18.00

  1. 11.15

    Lunch together

  2. 12.00

    Conference host Kristiane Krystad, Head of LO in Hammerfest

  3. 12.05

    Opening with Kristian Figenschow, Hålogaland Teater, an excerpt from “det e her æ høre tel (førr fan)”

  4. 12.20

    Global challenges in the North - The role of trade unions in total preparedness

    • Espen Barth-Eide, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Geopolitical and climate changes in the North in a broader context. Will security, sovereignty and resource extraction take precedence over people, communities and nature? How will the government ensure that workers, local communities, Indigenous peoples and the trade union movement have a genuine place in shaping preparedness and Arctic policy?

  5. 12.45

    Does the trade union movement have a role – and how can we fulfil it?

    Panel discussion with the LO leaders of Finland, Sweden and Norway

    • Jarkko Eloranta, President of LO Finland
    • Kine Asper Vistnes, President of LO Norway
    • Video greeting from Johan Lindholm, President of LO Sweden

    What role does the trade union movement play in crises and war? With LO leaders from Finland, Sweden and Norway, the discussion will examine whether the Nordic model holds under pressure, how employees are included in preparedness work, and which legal and democratic questions arise when civilians become part of society’s preparedness.

  6. Break and networking

  7. 14.00

    Living in the North – are crises the new normal?

    Panel facilitator: Jorunn Mikkelsen, Fagforbundet Finnmark

    • Helene Skeibrok, President of Fagforbundet
    • John Arne Markussen, Sámi Parliament representative and member of the Business and Culture Committee
    • Miikka-Aukusti Heiskanen (SAK), regional and organisational specialist

    The North is described as strategically important, but far too rarely as a place where people live and work. When preparedness, resource extraction and security policy dominate, the question is who takes responsibility for strong local communities and quality of life, public services and a working life that can actually keep the North alive.

  8. Break and networking

  9. 15.45

    Critical resources – and working life in the North

    Panel facilitator Geir Myrvoll, Head of LO Nordland

    • Geir Ramnefjell, author of the book “Kiruna”
    • Anki Pettersson, section chair of Kommunal Skellefteå
    • Ina Charlotte Kristiansen, Deputy Leader of Styrke Ung
    • Bjørn Johansen, Head of LO in Finnmark and Troms

    Will the North become a raw-material storehouse or a region of the future? Northern Norway, northern Sweden and northern Finland are the new industrial frontier. Resource extraction, energy demand, battery factories and data centres: how do municipalities, residents and workers balance investors and geopolitics against nature and Indigenous peoples? Who pays the price?

  10. 17.20

    End of the day

  11. 19.30

    Conference dinner

Tuesday 15 September

  1. 09.00

    Conference host Anne Rigmor Eliassen, Fagforbundet’s Hospital Office

  2. 09.05

    Roger Finjord – People in the North

  3. 09.25

    Together on total preparedness

    Panel facilitator Geir Ole Kanestrøm, Fagforbundet (Executive Committee member and head of High North work)

    • Erlend Hagenes, Head of Exercise North
    • Rakel Nystabakk, farmer and former board member of NBS
    • Iren Mari Luther, Head of Fagforbundet’s Health and Social Services Occupational Section
    • Marcela Douglas, Centre for Geopolitics, Peace and Security at UiT

    All forms of preparedness must be developed in parallel. Today a larger share of resources and attention goes to military build-up, while municipal preparedness, health services and critical infrastructure have less room to act. Do Norway, Sweden and Finland have different experiences? How can we achieve a more balanced prioritisation that safeguards both security and society’s basic needs?

  4. 10.50

    Checkout /break

  5. 11.20

    The way forward for workers in the North

    Facilitator: Anita Paula Johannesen, LO Secretariat - High North work

    • Andreas Bellika, Fagforbundet, local union leader in Hammerfest municipality
    • Miikka-Aukusti Heiskanen (SAK), regional and organisational specialist
    • Charlotte Heimtoft Lassesen, Head of LO in Vesterålen and chief union representative in Andøy municipality
    • Anki Pettersson, section chair of Kommunal Skellefteå
    • Henning Bråten, Handel og Kontor, Northern Norway branch
  6. 12.10

    Closing - How to continue the “People in the North” collaboration.

    • Frode Engen Spilling, LO Secretariat leadership and responsible for the High North initiative
    • Helene Skeibrokk, President of Fagforbundet

    Thank you and have a safe journey home

  7. 13.00 – 14.00

    Lunch and departure