Trade Union News from Finland
Tekijä (11.12.2024 - Heikki Jokinen) Collective bargaining for the technology industry has been going on since September. With no real progress. For this reason, the Industrial Union issued in November the first strike warning for one day strikes in some companies in December.
- It has become clear that we can get no further by negotiating, the Industrial Union president Riku Aalto says, explaining the reason behind the strike warning.
Aalto points out that the strike warning is not only down to disagreement on the pay rise issue.
Tekijä (11.12.2024 - Heikki Jokinen) The Industrial Union seeks a 10 per cent pay rise over the next two years. In the first year, the pay rise would be 6 per cent, in the second 4 per cent. To guarantee a real pay rise for the lower income earners, too, all wages and salaries should be raised in the first year by at least 150 euro per month, and at least 100 euro in the second year.
This is the common goal of member unions of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK). The unions went public with such demands in November. SAK unions will be negotiating their collective agreements throughout the autumn and winter.
- Employees' purchasing power has been decreasing dramatically. The reason for this is the rapid and considerable rise in prices. Now, people get less with their pay than before. To correct this, we need a bigger pay rise than before, says Riku Aalto, president of the Industrial Union.
Tekijä (13.11.2024 - Heikki Jokinen) The Orpo-Purra right-wing Government has become involved to an exceptional extent in the workings of the labour market. This is unusual in Finland, where the trade unions and employers' associations have had a wide measure of autonomy to negotiate agreements.
With this new policy, the government has, in fact, made itself a party in labour market issues. This development is not right.
- Labour market issues are becoming politicised. These issues are being put before parliament more and more, which is not a good thing. This diminishes the predictability of the labour market and weakens the possibilities of employees and employers agreeing on matters concerning the issues of their daily life, says Antti Malste, the Head of External Communications in the Industrial Union.
Tekijä (13.11.2024 - Heikki Jokinen) The importance of collective bargaining will not disappear in Finland. Notwithstanding the fact that the Orpo-Purra Government strongly favours employers when it comes to the labour market rules and structures.
- In Finnish society, the importance of collective bargaining is still central. Our labour law still stipulates very little about minimum conditions. These are decided in the generally binding collective agreements, says Antti Malste, the Head of External Communications in the Industrial Union.
The fact that legislation does not define a minimum salary or terms of employment, makes collective bargaining important for all wage and salary earners. Many of the collective agreements are generally binding. These set the minimum terms of employment that every company in the branch must follow.
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