-
Labour market parties shoot down the Minister's proposal of income tax cuts to partly replace pay rise
Helsinki (12.08.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) The summer holiday season is coming to a close in Finland. People return to work and schools have already started. At the same time the debate on the next round of collective agreements has got underway. Minister of Finance, Chairperson of the Centre Party Annika Saarikko said in the beginning of August that she would be ready to consider income tax cuts if pay rises in new collective agreements are "moderate". This means a pay rise below the level of inflation, which is predicted to be three per cent next year. Saarikko's proposal is nothing surprising. Tax cuts are usually the first - and often only - cure the right-wing parties offer up for any situation or problem. It is also convenient for companies, as it partly finances pay rises from public money instead of company profits.
Lue lisää: Labour market parties shoot down the Minister's...
-
New union website helps to deal with racism in multicultural workplaces
Helsinki (05.08.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Workplaces are rapidly becoming more multicultural even here in Finland. As this is a new situation in many places, problems may arise. However, quite often this is down to a lack of skills and experience on how to get along with people from other backgrounds. In 2021, out of Finland's total population, 470,000 people had a foreign background. That makes 8.5 per cent of the population. In working life, the share of people with a foreign background is even higher as there are less retired people from this group than in the whole population. STTK, the Finnish Confederation of Professionals, opened this summer a dedicated website monikulttuurinen.fi on how to improve fruitful work and activities in multicultural workplaces. The target groups are in particular supervisors and shop stewards, but also people in the workplaces in general.
Lue lisää: New union website helps to deal with racism in...
-
Anu Sajavaara appointed National Conciliator
Helsinki (27.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Lawyer Anu Sajavaara will take up her position as the new National Conciliator on 6 August. The Finnish Government appointed her on 22 June. The task of the National Conciliator is to assist the negotiating partners in the conciliation of labour disputes if a collective agreement cannot be reached without outside help. The arbitration system is based on the Act on Mediation in Labour Disputes. Sajavaara is working as the Negotiations Director for labour market issues at Palta, the Service Sector Employers. She has had a many-sided career in public administration, the European Union, Jyväskylä University and various employers' associations.
-
IG Metall hakee 8,2 prosentin korotusta
Tekijä (22.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Saksan teollisuuden ammattiliitto IG Metall hakee terästeollisuuden neuvotteluissa 8,2 prosentin palkankorotusta vuoden sopimuksella. Vaateen taustalla ovat inflaation kiihtyminen sekä teollisuuden hyvä taloudellinen tilanne. Kuluttajahinnat nousevat jyrkästi Saksassa. Maan tilastotoimiston mukaan toukokuun inflaatio oli 7,9 prosenttia. Eniten nousi energian hinta, mutta elintarvikkeetkin kallistuvat jyrkästi. Samalla maan teräs- ja rautateollisuudella menee hyvin, IG Metalll sanoo. Vuonna 2020 alan liikevaihto oli 26,6 miljardia euroa, viime vuonna 36,1 miljardia euroa.
-
Tesla tarjoaa makuupussin
Tekijä (22.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Teslan 2 100 autoa päivässä valmistava jättitehdas käynnistyi huhtikuussa muutaman viikon koronasulun jälkeen Kiinan Shanghaissa. Se on mahdollista, koska tuhannet työläiset elävät erityskuplassa. He nukkuvat makuupusseissa tehtaan lattialla ja tekevät 12 tunnin työvuoroja kuusi päivää viikossa. Pesutilat ovat rakenteilla tehtaaseen, samoin ruokailu- ja vapaa-ajan tilat.
-
Vapaa-aikaa vai rahaa?
Tekijä (22.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Enemmistö ruotsalaisista valitsisi mieluummin lyhyemmän työpäivän kuin lisää palkkaa, ay-liikkeen Arbetet-lehden teettämä kysely kertoo. Lyhyemmän työajan ottaisi 52 prosenttia vastanneista, korkeamman palkan 40 prosenttia. Erityisesti naiset kaipaisivat lisää omaa aikaa, heillä luvut olivat 58 prosenttia ja 35 prosenttia. Miesten vastaavat prosentit olivat 46 ja 44.
-
Akava President Sture Fjäder to step down prematurely
Helsinki (21.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Sture Fjäder will resign his position as President of Akava this autumn, much earlier than expected. His term was due to end in Spring 2024. Fjäder's announcement comes amid reports by Finnish media that there was a secret written and signed deal requiring Fjäder to step down this autumn. This deal was not disclosed at the time. Fjäder has been leading Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, since 2011. He was re-elected President on 25 August 2020. He received 578 votes against 292 votes for Maria Teikari, the Service Director at the Social Science Professionals YKA, one of the Akava member unions. Only a short time after that, on 9 September 2020 Fjäder signed a deal saying that he would vacate the presidency in Autumn 2022. The other three signatories to this arrangement were the leaders of three major Akava Unions.
-
Finally, a pay deal for the municipal sector – excluding nurses’ unions
Helsinki (10.06.2022 – Heikki Jokinen) The long quest for a collective agreement in the municipal sector finally resulted in a pay deal. But one that doesn’t include all municipal employees. The struggle to reach a new collective agreement for 245,000 municipal employees proved to be especially difficult this year. Tehy and Super, the unions representing nurses, are demanding a substantial pay rise due to the major shortage of nurses in social and health care. For similar reasons and to keep municipal sector jobs attractive, other unions in the municipal sector also demanded pay rises that go above the level unions in the private sector have reached so far.
Lue lisää: Finally, a pay deal for the municipal sector –...
-
Municipal sector negotiations deadlocked
Helsinki (02.06.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Collective bargaining in the municipal sector is increasingly becoming more complicated and difficult. All negotiations have failed so far. In February, the nurses' unions Tehy and Super issued a demand for a five-year pay programme. This would raise nurses' salaries annually by 3.6 per cent over the next 5 years on top of the standard pay increase. The main reason behind this programme is the major shortage of nurses in social and health care. Better pay would make the work more attractive. Other unions for the municipal sector echoed these demands on the same grounds - without a real pay rise the labour shortage throughout the municipal sector will only get worse.
-
Arne-eläke houkuttelee Tanskassa
Tekijä (18.05.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Lokakuussa 2020 vasemmistopuolueet ja oikeistopopulistinen Tanskan kansapuolue sopivat, että Tanskaan luodaan eläke nuoresta asti työtä tehneille. Virallisesti se on varhainen eläke, mutta sitä kutsutaan nimellä Arne-eläke asiaa ajaneen panimotyöläinen Arne Juhlin mukaan. Sopimus muuttui laiksi ja astui voimaan tämän vuoden alusta. Sen mukaan 61-vuotias, 44 vuotta työssä ollut voi päästä eläkkeelle kolme vuotta ennen kansaneläkeikää. 42 ja 43 työvuotta antavat oikeuden eläkkeeseen vuotta tai kahta ennen kansaneläkeikää. Sopimus lupasi uusiin eläkkeisiin valtion budjetista 470 miljoonaa euroa vuodessa. Eläkettä maksetaan 1 848 verotettavaa euroa kuussa. Se vähenee, jos eläkesäästöjä on kertynyt merkittävästi.
