Helsinki (05.01.2012 - Heikki Jokinen) Almost all of the eight candidates in the Finnish presidential elections, which will take place on January 22nd 2012, have ordered their campaign gift products from abroad, reports the Industrial Union TEAM.

The campaign pins, mugs, t-shirts, scarves, chocolate and other products are mainly made in the Far East or in some cases in the other European countries, TEAM discovered. Print work is more often than not done in Finland.

The chairman of TEAM Timo Vallittu reminds us that employment in Finland is to a large extent determined by the purchasing decisions of individuals and organisations. "Small decisions have a major impact on employment. Business gifts employ especially small companies and are labour-intensive."

If all citizens would use an extra EUR 10 per annum in domestic products, it would create no less than 10.000 new jobs, promoters of domestic products stress. 

"The President leads by example…. by virtue of the values he or she purports to hold dear…. so it would be expected that he or she would show an example and choose domestic products", Vallittu says. "An uncomfortable question for those aiming to be our leaders when it comes to values is: can we be sure that the campaign products -especially those made in Asia- are produced under decent conditions?"