Helsinki (10.01.2003 - Juhani Artto) In the praxis of the Finnish political system post-election government program negotiations play an exceptionally significant role. This is because of the peculiar character of the Finnish political scene. About ten political parties share the 200 seats in Parliament, with none of them anywhere near to holding an absolute majority. The only way to establish a stable majority government is thus for coalition partners controlling a secure parliamentary majority to agree upon an extensive and detailed government program for the entire four-year electoral period.
After the government program has been approved and the cabinet appointed, the partners must then focus on implementing the programme rather than engaging in party politics that run beyond the limits of this programme or contradict it.
This system has operated with complete consistency since 1983. The present government of Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen is the fifth consecutive government to function for the entire four-year term. (1)
Nobody in Finland casts serious doubt on this kind of governance. In the open and ruthless competition of the international market a nation of only five million people has no viable alternative to political stability.
This background explains why SAK, Finland’s largest central trade union organisation, saw fit to publish its objectives for the country’s policymaking process over the 2003-2007 term already in late October 2002. The upcoming parliamentary elections are scheduled for 16 March 2003. In the run-up to these elections and during the post-election government program negotiations SAK will argue and lobby strongly for its goals. All of the other major stakeholders in Finnish society have learnt to do the same thing in their own interests. The chances of influencing political decisions after the government program has been settled are significantly more remote.
SAK sees little need for migrant labour
One important and imminent concern for SAK is the rapid ageing of the labour force and the entire population structure of Finland. As much as one third of employees are expected to quit working life by the year 2010. There are currently 26 people over 65 years of age for every 100 of working age. By 2020 this ratio will be 41 per 100.
The main way to tackle this radical change is to increase the employment rate from the present 68 per cent (2) to 75 per cent – the level that prevailed just before the economic recession of the early 1990s. SAK envisages a fall in the unemployment rate to 5 per cent by the end of the decade. The average retirement age should rise by two to three years from the present age of 59 years.
If these changes occur, then SAK sees no significant need for migrant labour. Even with the steadily mounting declarations and warnings of labour shortages made by employers, the current unemployment rate of nearly 10 per cent remains a major social and economic problem. In a position paper issued in October SAK points out that about one quarter of the existing labour force have completed no more than nine years of basic education. Training members of this workforce segment to improve their prospects of finding decent jobs is one of SAK's main goals for the coming years.
Despite its scepticism towards predictions of major needs for migrant labour, SAK's program has important goals for foreign workers. These include combating ethnic discrimination, a continuous three-cornered analysis of the need for migrant labour conducted by the government, business community and trade unions, and the right of workers’ representatives to information on the working conditions of foreign employees in Finland.
SAK insists that public authorities, trade unions and workers’ representatives must have the right and the practical ability to supervise the working conditions of all foreign labour. This means verifying that employers are applying universally binding collective agreements and are not engaged in social dumping to the detriment of migrant workers. Trade union organisations should also be granted locus standi to defend employees whose rights have been infringed (read: Daryl Taylor comment on SAK proposal concerning representation of migrant workers in Finnish courts).
Working hour reductions depend on employer attitudes
On the question of working hours SAK mainly focuses on health and safety aspects and on the need to allow for the individual needs of people in various life situations, such as the parents of small children.
Referring to the new 35-hour working week in France, SAK notes that in Finland universal reduction of working hours has traditionally been a matter to be settled by agreement between labour market organisations. "This policy remains sustainable," SAK observes.
In recent years mainstream employers have openly resisted initiatives to shorten working hours. This leaves barely any room for new universal agreements shortening the working week in the near future.
Responsibility for safety to be assigned to the principal contractor
The general trend towards fewer work-related accidents came to a halt in the 1990s. One of the main reasons for this was the adoption of a system based on widespread subcontracting. To reduce the negative impact of this system on occupational safety, SAK proposes a reform that would make the principal contractor responsible for safety throughout the subcontractor network.
Not a "shopping list"
The October position paper setting out SAK’s goals for 2003-2007 incorporates hundreds of demands and recommendations. These range from questions of working life to issues in research, taxation, transport infrastructure, energy policy, pension reform and many other economic and social matters.
The programme is not an unrealistic "shopping list", but a document that is intimately associated with the concrete situation and justified aspirations of working people.
(1) Since the end of November 1917 Finland has had 67 governments. Before May 1979 only two of these governments served for more than 1,000 days