TEK and TFiF chose Polar Night Energy, ABB’s SynRM-VSD work group and Sitowise Ltd Landscape as the winners of this year’s ITU Technology Awards.

Polar Night Energy's Sand Battery – the winner of this year’s Breakthrough Award – provides a solution for storing thermal energy. It reduces the need to generate energy by combustion and enhances electricity grid stability. The technology enables storing energy for longer than with electric batteries. The Sand Battery can be used to electrify and decarbonize a variety of industrial processes and district heating networks.

ABB has developed a synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) and variable speed drive (VSD) package that gives a significant boost to the energy efficiency of electric motors. According to the award jury, this proves that businesses, too, engage in cutting-edge research.

Sitowise Ltd Landscape, which has offices in eight different towns and cities in Finland, has built a strong team spirit. Their ways of working have also been adopted by the company's other divisions. The Forerunners Award jury praised Sitowise Ltd Landscape for fostering a positive atmosphere at work and for actively contributing to making the industry better.

The 70 newly elected councillors represent approximately 85,000 members in TEK’s decision-making. Unity and Teekkari Spirit 2 received five additional seats, the Greens three, the Left two and the Finns Party one. The average age of the council members is 48, and 51 % of the councillors are women.

TEK members elected 70 councillors to represent them in TEK’s decision-making during the 2026–2029 term. The National Coalition Party lost five seats in the council elections but still remains the largest group with 14 seats. Unity and Teekkari Spirit 2, The Greens and Left gained additional seats. The newcomer, the Finns Party, won one seat. A total of 12,216 votes were cast, and voter turnout was 22.1%.

A total of 12,216 members voted in TEK’s council elections held in March, generating more than 36,000 euros to donate. TEK donates three euros per vote to charitable causes chosen by the voters. MIELI Mental Health Finland and its work supporting the mental health of children and young people received the most votes. The election results will be published on April 1.

The council discussed the employment situation and recent legislative changes. The removal of “a weighty reason” from the grounds for dismissal does not currently seem to affect TEK members broadly. The council approved TEK’s financial statements and annual report and confirmed the student representatives for 2026.

Electronic voting for TEK’s General Council elections is open until Monday, 30 March at 12 noon. Find out about the electoral alliances, electoral coalitions and candidates below.

TEK’s council has been elected for several decades already. “Women and pensioners were active,” says Matti Hirvikallio, who served as secretary of the election committee in the early 2000s. Ideas to attract voters have included, for example, giving out packets of coffee.

In March, 70 representatives will be elected in TEK's General Council elections to represent approximately 83,000 members. There are a total of 503 candidates.

Council elections do not happen out of thin air. The Election Committee is responsible for ensuring that the elections run smoothly. In the run-up to the 2026 elections, the committee has been discussing issues such as the election compass and electronic voting. What goes on behind the scenes before members get to vote?

For the first time, TEK’s General Council elections will be completely electronic. For each cast vote, we donate three euros to charity – that’s two good deeds per voter!

At TEK, the members are represented by the General Council, comprising 70 members chosen by election every three years. The next elections will take place in March 2026, and the nomination process is on until 9th February. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions – read them and join the process!

Student representatives or “hallopeds” have been selected for 2026. They ensure that students’ voices are heard in TEK’s decision-making. See which bodies students are part of and who represents you this year!

We asked the chairpersons of the current council groups what they have achieved during the ongoing council term, how their group stands out from others, and how TEK should be improved in the future.

Join us in building TEK to reflect its members, expand your social networks, and follow developments in the labour market from a vantage point. Run for election or vote in the TEK elections!

Are you somewhat interested in council work, but don't really know what it means in practice? In this article, we follow the 2025 council's autumn meeting – you'll find out what meetings are like and how time-consuming they are. Welcome along!

TEK has reached a new record number of international members, in total 4,288. “We’re thrilled that our membership is becoming more representative and more international,” says TEK’s Project Manager for International Experts Owain Hopeaketo.

Did you know that TEK offers support for mental wellbeing? The theme interests members and gets good feedback.

The next TEK council elections will be held in spring 2026. If you have a little election fever or the flame of enthusiasm is already burning, learn the basics of council work here and prepare for the electoral term.

The winners of the new ITU technology awards are NPHarvest, the research team developing Serpent code at VTT, and the Industrial Engineering and Management research unit at the University of Oulu. The awards will be presented today in Helsinki.

The Serpent code, which originated from a doctoral dissertation, is used by more than 200 organisations, including MIT and Cambridge. The calculation code models the interaction of neutrons and photons. The team at VTT that has been developing the code was presented with the Cornerstone Award by TEK and TFiF.

Our first ever printed TEK Magazine fully in English comes out on 7th March. You can also find links to the magazine's articles from this article.

You may have heard of YTN, JUKO or Akava. Not just random letters, but important organisations for your employment conditions and the societal influence of unions. Let’s find out why.

Sometimes you may come across overwhelming situations at work, friction between people or challenges with your ability to cope. Find out who you can turn to in these situations.

A familiar face for many: TEK’s senior adviser Daniel Valtakari works for TEK’s members’ benefit both in Finland and globally. His expertise spans from job search advice to collective agreements, all the way to lobbying in the European Union.

Legal advice is one of the services TEK’s members value the most. When you want to check something or work life gives you lemons, it’s a relief to have someone to turn to.

At the beginning of 2025, the number of members in Akava unions was 623 924, an increase of 625 from the previous year. For the second year in a row, TEK was the union with the largest increase in membership.

Suggest a slogan or a design for a TEK overall badge by 2nd March – your idea might come alive!