This transformation of society is offering new opportunities to a great number of people, but, like most changes, it is also causing some anxiety and concern.

TCO strives to create the security and the conditions that people need so that they can enter the working life of the future with an open mind. There is no doubt that working life is the focus of many of the changes now taking place.

Terms and conditions of employment, and the way that work is organised, must be adapted to the new demands. It is not working life alone, however, that is presenting new demands. The employees of today expect very different things from life than those of only a few decades ago.

We want to have interesting jobs in which we can develop, but we also want to have time and energy left for our children, families, friends and leisure activities. Of course we also want to be able to exert influence over our everyday lives, even at the workplace. Offering tools that make it possible to exert such influence is one of the most important tasks of the trade unions today. The aim is that employees should acquire greater influence over both working hours and job content.

This is a context in which old and new ideas and concepts can benefit from each other. What is new is the increasing demand to be able to make individual life choices - what is old is the realisation that those who want to change the world can best do so by co-operating with others. The strength of the collective gives the individual greater freedom. This is why the concept of trade unionism, which is more than 100 years old, has such good prospects for the future. We want to have time for our children, families, friends and leisure activities.