JHL (06.10.2017 - Heikki Jokinen) Negotiations to renew most of the JHL collective agreements will begin in November and December. Almost all of JHL's around 60 collective agreements are set to expire at the end of January 2018.

JHL President Päivi Niemi-Laine says that the goal of the Union in this round of negotiations is to get pay rises that can be counted in euro, not as a percentage of current wages.

The logic being that if everyone were to get the same percentage by way of a pay rise the gap between those earning less and those earning far more will only end up getting wider.

JHL seeks to bridge the gender gap in salaries and improve the position of those earning less.

The level of pay rises must be on a par with what the industrial unions agree this Autumn, Niemi-Laine says.

The 30 per cent holiday bonus cut in the public sector is still valid for two years. JHL believes that the cut must be re-evaluated. And finding a solution to this question needs input from the Government’s side.

Well-being at work is another important issue for JHL in these forthcoming collective agreement negotiations. What especially needs to be developed is how to agree on working hours and shifts. Employees must be able to exert influence when it comes to planning shifts better than they are able to do at the present time.

– Work days must be as continuous as possible, say JHL heads of bargaining Kristian Karrasch and Mari Keturi.

Zero-hour contracts are one of the important issues for JHL in collective bargaining. As it seems to be the case that the legislation will not sufficiently improve the position of those working on zero-hour contracts, the rules of the game must be revised within the collective agreements.