Karl-Petter THORWALDSSON

Biographie

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson was the president of LO (The Swedish Trade Union Confederation) 2012-2020. He did not run for re-election on the congress held on June 15 2020. He became the 14th LO President since the foundation of LO in 1898.

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson was born in 1964 in Kosta in southern Sweden, where he grew up and also had his first employment.

At an early age he became engaged in the Social Democratic Youth League (SSU), and between 1990 and 1995 he was chairman of the organisation at national level.

Having completed his term, he worked as an expert in the Prime Minister’s Office followed by a position as head of communications at the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party.

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson was, during the late 1980s, active in IF Metall at local level, and in 1999 he was employed as a national officer by IF Metall at national level where he was responsible for, inter alia, trade union political issues.

He was also President of the Workers’ Educational Association (ABF) between 2000 and 2012 and from 2005 Vice President of the International Federation of Workers’ Education Associations.

At the LO headquarters, Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson was mainly responsible for the overall activities of LO as well as issues concerning labour market and educational policy, economic policy, international trade union work, migration, formation of public opinion and equality matters.

Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson considers unemployment to be the most acute issue to tackle, and he will work actively for developing measures to create employment. Other important issues to come to grips with are the rate of organisation and the popular movement as a means to increase individuals’ possibility to exert influence in society.

As well as his ITUC responsibilities, Karl-Petter was a member of the executive committees of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) during his time as president of LO.