Committee

Leif Sande (Committee Chairperson)

Leif Sande is the President of Industri Energi. From 1985 he was elected Vice President in the Norwegian Oil- and Petrochemical Workers Union (NOPEF), and from 2000 he was elected president. When NOPEF and the Norwegian Chemichal Workers Union merged in 2006, Sande was elected president in the new federation Industri Energi. He has a background as operator at the petrochemical plant at Mongstad, where he was shop steward. Sande holds a number of offices in the trade union movement. Among other things, he is the Vice President of the International Energy and Chemical Workers' Federation (ICEM) and board member of the Nordic IN (Industrianställda i Norden).

Randi Gabric Bjørgen

Randi Gabric Bjørgen was the President of the Confederation of Vocational Unions (YS) from 1996 to 2006. Before this she held several key positions in the same organization. She has vast experience in the Nordic and international Trade Union movement, and has served on numerous public boards and committees. Bjørgen has today project responsibility for a YS-project, supported by Norad, in southern Africa.

Helga Hjetland

Helga Hjetland was the President of the Norwegian Union of Teachers from 1995 to 2001, then elected President of the Union of Education Norway until 2009. She is a trained teacher and worked as a teacher, consultant and principal from 1972 to 1988. She is currently the Chairman of the United Nations Association of Norway, board member of UNICEF Norway and the Global Campaign for Education. Hjetland has for many years been engaged in various solidarity projects through the Norwegian Union of Teachers and the Union of Education Norway, particularly in Africa, Central America and Palestine. The work has mainly focused on the strengthening of trade unions, particularly the role of women.

Yngve Hågensen

Yngve Hågensen was President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) from 1989 to 2001, then Special Consultant in the LO until 2003. He has held numerous positions in the trade union movement locally and centrally, including being the Chairman of the Paper Workers Association in Halden, board member of the Paper Workers' Union of Norway, District Secretary in Møre og Romsdal and in Oslo/Akershus and Confederal Secretary from 1977 until he was elected president. Internationally, he has been a board member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Finn Erik Thorensen

Finn Erik Thoresen is a skilled worker in graphic professions and has held numerous positions in the trade union movement locally and centrally, including being the shop steward in the magazine Hjemmet, President of the Norwegian Graphic Workers' Union and Second Vice President of the LO. In that position he had political responsibility for the LO's international solidarity work, a commitment he has continued as Chairman for the Norwegian People's Aid, Board member of the United Nations Association of Norway and member of the General Council of the Joint Committee for Palestine, Norway. Thoresen has previously been President of the Nordic Graphic Workers Union, Vice President of the International Graphical Federation, board member in UNI Global Union and Vice President of Graphical & Packaging Sector in UNI.

Liv Tørres

Liv Tørres is the Secretary General of the Norwegian People's Aid. She has extensive international experience and has worked closely with, and for, the trade union movement in Norway, South Africa and internationally for many years. Tørres has a background in the research sector from the Institute for Labour and Social Research, Fafo, the University of Oslo and the Research Council of Norway. She also has a Ph.D. in political science on the trade union movement in South Africa. She has been an adviser to the trade unions and government bodies on issues of democratization and the organization's role, and was in 2011 Political Adviser to the Minister of Labour.

Gerd-Liv Valla

Gerd-Liv Valla was President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) from 2001 to 2007, and is currently a Special Consultant in the LO. She is cand.polit from 1977 and has held numerous positions in the trade union movement locally and centrally, including NTL's section of the Research Council of Norway, Secretary of the Cartel of Public Servants, Vice President of The Norwegian Civil Service Union and LO before she was elected as president of LO. Valla has worked as a Political Adviser and State Secretary to the Prime Minister, and was Minister of Justice in 1997. During her administration in LO she has actively participated in international trade unions in Scandinavia, Europe and globally.