Diary from the National Congress

September 16

9.00
I log on to the digital pre-meeting with a fair amount of excitement. What do they actually expect of me as a delegate? What do they expect of us as a team?

Fortunately, I am surrounded by people, some of whom have done this before and whom I already know from my many years as a union representative. I know I have good people behind me.

Their experience is reassuring. I will contribute what I can and remind myself that I do not need to know everything. I just need to be prepared, open-minded and curious.

We talk about how change happens. Not necessarily through big speeches or decisions made on a stage, but perhaps through a single sentence shared over a cup of coffee or at lunch. I might share a thought with a colleague from another bank.

They pass it on. Maybe it reaches a leader, then someone else, and suddenly the idea is making its way through the system. In that way, even small contributions can help change members’ everyday working lives.

Still, doubts creep in along the way. Can I bring to the table what is expected of me? Can I actually make a difference?

Whenever these thoughts appear, I remind myself of the same thing: I am not alone. We are part of a large community, and we stand together.

11:27
Total confusion in my head after an hour and a half of meetings.

What is important to bring forward? What belongs at the congress, and what belongs in the company collective agreement? There is so much information that it almost feels overwhelming.

What are we actually trying to achieve with all of this?

12:00
The meeting is over. There are a thousand things up in the air.

Will we manage to catch them all before the congress next week?

I look around at the team and feel a sense of trust. There are many of us, and we are helping each other. And once again, I remind myself: I am an important piece of the puzzle.

We all bring something of ourselves, and we are all important pieces that together form the bigger picture.

09.53
We have two hours together with our own delegation before the congress begins. My digital name badge is attached to my lanyard. There are bread rolls on the tables, and the sun is shining outside.

There is a special atmosphere in the room, filled with many familiar faces. Anticipation. Excitement. Curiosity. What will these days bring?

10
The leadership of Finansforbundet i Danske Bank welcomes us and takes us through the rules of the congress.

How do we get the floor? When can we speak? What responsibilities come with it?

One important message is this: When we speak, we speak on behalf of Finansforbundet i Danske Bank. We need to look at the bigger picture and not just focus on our own department or our own part of the bank.

This is about the direction of Finansforbundet. What are we working towards? What kind of future do we want to create?

And most importantly: Make your voice heard.

12:00
Lunch and a short break in the middle of the day, with both serious conversations and plenty of laughter around the tables. I meet colleagues from other banks. It is lovely to see people I have not met for a long time.

The same thing is happening all around me. Just over 200 people make their way into the main hall, greeting each other across institutions. Many of them clearly know each other too. Perhaps from training programmes, courses, previous jobs or somewhere else.

13:00
Before the congress officially gets under way, Katrine Muff sits down at the piano and plays the melody of the union song.

There is something special about standing in a room full of people from across the financial sector and singing “our song”. We come from different banks, different savings banks and different parts of the country, but at that moment, we sing with one voice.

I feel a strong sense of community.

13:23
Dorrit Brandt, chairman of Finansforbundet, opens the congress. Among other things, she talks about courage. About how the things that sometimes scare us the most can also be the things that give us energy.

I can relate to that. When you are brave and something works out, it gives you positive energy.

Then the formal part of the congress begins, including the election of the chair of proceedings and other formalities.

Dorrit Brandt and Vice Chairmen Steen Lund Olsen and Jakob Thorgaard present their joint report on behalf of Finansforbundet.

One statement from Dorrit stays with me:

“One thing is certain about the future: Nothing can be known with certainty.Change will continue, and the pace will only increase".

15:15
26 speakers have put their names down to comment on the report. 26!

I look at the number and think this is going to take a long time. And then even more names are added.

One theme keeps coming up: AI. Artificial intelligence finds its way into almost every topic we will discuss over the next few days.

As I listen to the many speeches, I also feel proud that the union dares to be both courageous and curious about the future. One example is that it is in the process of establishing a youth organisation.

16:00
Gunver Sommer from our delegation takes the stage. She also talks about AI and asks us to imagine a department with nine employees.

Three humans. Six AI agents.

When do we think that will become everyday reality?

Most people raise their hands at the answer: within two years.

But the real point is even more thought-provoking. It is already happening. For us at Danske Bank, it is already part of everyday working life.

After 17 speakers, I really start looking around the room.

Wow. I am surrounded by people who are truly passionate about what they do.

Many are essentially saying the same thing, but they all do it in their own way. Each of them is passionate about their area and their members. Behind all these different perspectives lies the same driving force:

We love what we do, and we want a good working life. When we hit bumps in the road, we become frustrated because we are so eager to find solutions.

Many speakers stand confidently and professionally in front of the large audience.

But actually, it is the people whose hands are shaking a little that I notice the most. Several say that this is their first time speaking from the stage. They are nervous, and you can tell.

And yet they do it.

That is courage. They have an important message that they simply cannot keep to themselves.

17:42
The second-to-last speaker, number 34 in line, brings some fresh energy back into the room.

Thomas Nedergaard from Jyske Bank Kreds reads out a fictional letter from his grandchild in the year 2044.

It says:

“Thank you, Grandpa, for fighting as a trade unionist to get us a 24-hour working week. But why did it have to take so long? Weren’t you a trade union?”

He goes on to point out that the 37-hour working week has existed since 1993.

The letter makes me think.

Maybe the point is not necessarily a 24-hour working week, but that as a trade union, we must always dare to think differently. Dare to challenge what we take for granted. Dare to look at things in a new light.

17:53
That is it for today.

I leave with a lot of impressions. Mentally tired, but also filled with a sense of community, engagement and courage.

And perhaps most importantly:

I leave with a stronger belief that I really am an important part of all this. Not me alone, but together with everyone else in Finansforbundet who is working to make working life a little better for all of us.

Kl. 09
The day begins in the main hall with a communal morning song. We sing Livstræet, and it is actually a lovely way to start the day. It creates a sense of calm and community before the programme begins.

Today’s first guest speaker is Charlotte Haugaard, Chair of Forsikringsforbundet.

I think her message really hits home. Technology can do many things, but it cannot replace the sense of security that exists between people. There will always be situations where care, human presence and the human touch are essential.

She also talks about technological development and asks an important question:

How does technology benefit employees?

Thirty-five years ago, the working week was reduced to 37 hours. If technology makes us more efficient, shouldn’t employees benefit from those gains too?

Another image she uses stays with me: If a lot of people become ill from drinking the same water, perhaps we should examine the water rather than focusing only on the individual.

It is a simple way of talking about well-being, but the message is powerful.

09:20
The theme shifts to the union of the future.

What if the trade union we have today is not the trade union we will need tomorrow?

It is not about finding the perfect answers. It is about starting the discussion and daring to think differently. Starting from scratch and creating a new trade union.

The task is: What is the most important problem to solve?

I am sitting at a table with six people. The seating plan has deliberately placed us with people from different branches: Kreds Øst, Kreds Vest, Nordea, Nykredit and AL Sydbank, plus me from Danske Bank.

I take an active part in the conversation and raise the topics that I believe are most important. Some of the things I say are picked up by the others. At other times, I build on their ideas.

Even though we come from different companies and backgrounds, I feel that everyone contributes constructively.

Finally, each group has to put its answers on a sheet of paper. A photo of the sheet is uploaded to a platform, where AI will transform all the groups’ notes into posters within a few hours.

I leave feeling that I have both taken some good ideas home with me and passed some good ideas on.

People listen to my input, and I feel that I am contributing everything I can.

And our poster about the trade union of the future turned out pretty well too 😊

In the middle of the group work, we take a short break for another guest speaker.

Lars Mørch, CEO of Jyske Bank.

Once again, AI is a central theme.

He says he is often asked how much Jyske Bank has saved by using artificial intelligence.

His answer is surprising: Nothing. Or at least not yet.

On the contrary, he says the bank has spent a great deal of money in this area. AI has been expensive.

At the same time, he emphasises that changes need to be implemented wisely and not rushed.

It seems like a very realistic approach to the transformation we are all experiencing.

13:30
After a good lunch, we gather again in our own delegations.

We spend some time preparing for the afternoon’s zone sessions and sharing our reflections on the congress so far.

The atmosphere is good.

Once again, I am struck by how many challenges we share across the sector. At the same time, the differences are also becoming clear.

There is a big difference between representing Danske Bank and representing a smaller savings bank with 130 employees spread across four locations in southern Zealand.

Some institutions are far ahead when it comes to AI. Others are onl just getting started.

Someone at the table mentions that Kreds Vest consists of around 30 different institutions. That creates challenges that are very different from ours. They have to embrace many different realities, whereas at Danske Bank, at least on paper, we are just one company, albeit one with many different business areas.

A comment from someone at the table makes me think.

How can we set a direction that will last for three years when the world is changing so quickly?

With artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainty and constant change, it can sometimes be difficult enough to look one year ahead.

So how do we create a plan for the next three years?

14:15
Now the zone sessions begin.

I meet my group in the Competence and Sector zone. The other zones are working with the themes Union, Working Life and Labour Market.

I have prepared thoroughly in advance. In front of me is a printout listing the topics that we in Finansforbundet i Danske Bank have identified as particularly important.

I know what I want to put on the agenda.

There are around 50 people in the room. Shortly afterwards, we are divided into smaller groups, leaving just five people at each table.

And it turns out to be a really good idea.

My concern about whether I would get the opportunity to put FiDB’s messages on the table disappears immediately. In such small groups, everyone naturally gets a chance to speak.

We bring all the topics to the table. Everyone gets the opportunity to make their case. Everyone is heard.

After several rounds in which the messages are narrowed down to the five most important topics, we return to the larger zone of 50 people.

Together, we now have to agree on the five most important messages that will form the basis for Finansforbundet’s work over the next three years.

Sometimes we discuss things right down to individual words. At one point, the discussion is about whether “resilience” is the right word to use.

Should we call it that? Can we say it more simply? Will everyone understand it?

The discussions are passionate but constructive. The focus is always on finding the best possible wording.

In the end, we arrive at some good formulations, and I can see that several of the topics we have prioritised in Danske Bank are clearly represented.

Mission accomplished.

I have helped get something very concrete through.

Now it will be exciting to see tomorrow what the final wording will look like. After we finish, a smaller group will rewrite the 20 statements to make them clear, readable and useful as a basis for the union’s work over the next three years.

17:30
The final union-related activity of the day is an ideas competition.

Everyone writes down one specific idea on a piece of card.

50 people. 50 ideas.

Then a slightly unusual process begins. We swap cards and pair up. We read the idea, discuss it and give it a score from 1 to 7.

Then we swap again.

New idea. New colleague. New conversation.

We repeat the process five times.

It is actually a fun way of talking to lots of different people while also evaluating the ideas.

All the suggestions will be compiled into a catalogue of ideas, and who knows?

Maybe I have passed on an idea that will one day become reality and make a difference to my members.

That is actually a pretty inspiring thought to end the day on.

8.00
We meet again in the delegation room before the official programme begins.

We review the proposals for changes to membership fees. There is no complete agreement in the room. Some prefer one solution, while others favour another.

The discussion is constructive and factual, but it is also clear that there is no single right answer.

As always, we are free to vote according to our own convictions later in the day.

Then we return to yesterday’s work.

The four themes from the zones are reviewed one by one. We read through the wording produced overnight and assess whether it hits the mark.

Should anything be changed? Are there words that should be replaced? Is anything important missing?

(And what exactly does “resilience” mean? 😊)

We also talk about who will say what when we return to the main hall. Who will speak on which topics? Which messages are the most important to get across?

It occurs to me that I now know, and have experienced first-hand, just how much work goes into the sentences that later look so simple on paper.

9.00
Today’s guest speaker is Morten Skov Christiansen, President of the Danish Trade Union Confederation.

He opens with:

“The future is already here. It’s just unevenly distributed.”

He talks about technology and artificial intelligence and how the transformation is already under way.

Finansforbundet is actually one of the places where the future has already moved very close. It is mentioned that nine out of ten members use artificial intelligence on a weekly basis.

09:17
Back to the official programme.

Now it is time to discuss the political priorities from the zones.

The speakers’ list opens, and messages begin flowing from the stage. More than 20 different contributions are made during the morning.

I sit and observe the atmosphere in the room.

If I am completely honest, I had expected more debate. Maybe even a few more raised fists and some classic trade union rallying cries.

But that is not what I experience at all.

Quite the opposite.

Everyone is treated with respect.

Every speaker receives applause. When speakers return to their delegation, they are greeted with appreciative smiles, thumbs-up or high-fives.

There is a strong sense of support for those who dare to take the stage. And not just from their own delegation, but also from other colleagues they pass on the way back to their seat.

When someone says something that really resonates with the entire room, you can feel it.

One particular moment comes when Nadia Lind Bøgh from AL Sydbank takes the floor.

She wonders why smaller trade unions so often appear in the media. As an example, she says that she watched morning TV for 30 minutes that morning and heard two other trade unions mentioned in connection with current issues.

Why do we so rarely hear Finansforbundet mentioned on the morning TV watched by ordinary Danish families?

She calls for greater visibility.

When she sits down again, the applause is slightly louder than usual.

Not dramatically so. Just noticeably.

To me, it is a sign that her message struck a chord with many of us.

She made people listen. She put into words something that many people had been thinking.

15:30
In the car on my way home, I reflect on the three days in Nyborg.

I arrived feeling excited and slightly uncertain about what kind of difference I could make.

But through the conversations, workshops and work in the zones, I experienced that my contributions were heard, taken seriously and incorporated into our shared work.

I am going home with the feeling that I contributed everything I could.

At the same time, I experienced a congress characterised by decency and respect. Whether you stood on the stage, took part in group discussions or contributed around the tables, you were met with recognition and support.

The strongest feeling, though, is that I have helped create something bigger than myself.

Together with around 200 committed delegates, I have helped set the direction for Finansforbundet’s work over the next three years. We brought different perspectives to the table, but found shared solutions and common ambitions for the future.

Now the direction has been set.

My hope is that, within the next three years, I will see tangible results and be able to think:

“I helped set that in motion at the 2026 Congress.”

That would be the greatest proof that even one piece can help make a difference in the bigger puzzle.