The affiliates

NU HRCT comprises seven unions in the five Nordic countries with a total membership of around 100,000. The member unions are:

Denmark

Fagligt Fælles Forbund (3F) is the largest union in Denmark, with 300,000 members. The union operates in many different sectors and industries, private and public. Its members are divided six main areas: manufacturing, transport, public sector, construction, agriculture, and private services, hotel and restaurant industry.

The first Danish hotel and restaurant union was formed in 1933 after a long and difficult process. In 1990s, four unions in the hotel, restaurant and beverage industry came together to form a new Restaurant and Brewery Union (RBF). In 2006, RBF became part of newly formed 3F, under the Private Service Hotel & Restaurant group. 3F PSHR has around 28,000 members, which work with providing service and experience on land and on waters, whereof 12,500 members within the HRCT sector.

Its member work in wide range of jobs within the hotel and restaurant industry in Denmark, but 3F PSHR has signed more than 20 different sectoral, occupational and company agreements within the HRCT sector.

Finland

PAM (Palvelualojen ammattiliitto) is a union for employees working in the private sectors in Finland. PAM has more than 200,000 members, of whom 80% are women. The majority of PAM’s members work in retail trade, property services, security services as well as tourism, restaurant and leisure services. PAM negotiates collective agreements for service sectors and safeguards its members’ interests at workplaces.

Founded in 1990 the first trade union for restaurant workers was a branch of the Swedish General Waiters’ Union. The first Finnish Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union (HRHL) was founded in 1933, but before that several of smaller professional unions mainly for males had been established. In the beginning of 2001, HRHL merged with three other unions to form Service Union United PAM. Currently PAM has around 34,000 members within the HRCT sector and has one comprehensive sectoral agreement which cover the whole hotel, restaurant, catering and tourism industry.

Iceland

MATVIS (Matvæla- og Veitingafélag Íslands) is a small federation with around 1,650 skilled professionals, such as Bakers, Butchers, Waiters, and Chefs, as well as apprentices within those occupations.

MATVÍS was founded in 1996, when the Bakers Union, the unions for waiter’s union and Union for Skilled Butchers decided to work together. The main purpose of the federation is to organize all skilled workers within the food and restaurant industry, look after its member’s interests at the workplace and promote vocational education and skills within the industry.

Norway

Fellesforbundet is Norway’s largest trade union in the private sector with 150,000 members in construction, industry, farming, hotels, restaurants and graphical sector. More than 200 different trades and occupations are covered by the union. The objective of Fellesforbundet, is to organize employees in order to promote their wages and working conditions. Fellesforbundet will also work to promote the professional, economic and social interest of its members and ensure full employment.

The Hotel and Restaurant Union (HRAF) in Norway was founded in 1931 and organized workers in the hotel, café and restaurant industry. During the World War II the Germans infiltrated the union and during 5 year the union lost nearly 90% of its members, but after the war the union manage to rebuild itself.

In 1988 Fellesforbundet was formed through a merger of five trade union federations, but the Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union joined in 2007. Currently Fellesforbundet has around 8,100 members within the HRCT sector and makes two comprehensive sectoral agreements which cover the whole hotel, restaurant, catering and tourism industry, and number of company based agreements.

Sweden

Hotell och Restaurantfacket (HRF), organizes 30,600 employees working in hotels, restaurants, bars, casinos, cafes, airports, conference centers, amusement parks and other tourist facilities.

The first hotel and restaurant workers’ union in Sweden was formed in 1918 under the name of Union of Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Staff, but in 1960 and 1996 the name of the union was modernized and changed.
HRFs members work in wide range of occupations within the hotel, restaurant and the tourism industry in Sweden. HRF has signed more than 25 sectoral, occupational and company agreements within the HRCT sector, covering more than 13,500 workplaces in 12 different sectors.