Archive

JHL (25.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Events and initiatives on the labour market discussion are changing very quickly now, writes JHL chairperson Jarkko Eloranta in his blog.

However, one thing is sure, he adds. Trade union members showed on September 18 what they think of proposed Government legislation to cut incomes for those earning very little. And in a similar measure the Government is taking steps to hinder any possibility for agreeing on better terms of work through collective bargaining.

The demonstration organised by the three trade union confederations Akava, SAK and STTK brought 30,000 people out on to the streets of Helsinki. Altogether, some 300,000 people came out in protest against the Government measures around the country.

Helsinki (24.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The trade unions are attracting significantly more new members since the Government announced its latest plans for austerity measures and the decision to limit the scope for freedom of agreement when it comes to labour market negotiations.

Figures for new members became apparent immediately after the Government plans become public on 8 September. In just one week following these Government plans the Service Union United PAM got more new members than ever, in one week, during its 15 years of existence.

”Unwittingly, Prime Minister Sipilä has been the best recruiting sergeant ever for union membership”, rejoices PAM Chairperson Ann Selin. In order to appreciate what has been happening we only need to look at PAM’s recent application statistics. With more than 500 new members in one day - its best achievement so far - the union is clearly on a roll.

Helsinki (20.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The demonstration organised by the three trade union confederations brought 30,000 people to Helsinki in spite of heavy rain. The main message was to defend the unions' rights with regard to free collective bargaining and protest against austerity measures planned by the Government.

In tandem with the demonstration on Friday 18 September public transport, trains, harbours and air traffic ground to a halt. Quite a number of shops, offices, day-care centres and many factories including paper mills also shut down.

The total number of people who came out in protest against the Government measures was 300,000 around the country.

The Government is planning to limit and cut by law the extra pay for week-end and night work. These cuts will hit low paid women especially hard.

Helsinki (16.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) All three trade union confederations are calling on people to attend a major demonstration against the austerity measures and plans to limit freedom of agreement decided by the Finnish Government.

The demonstration will take place at the Helsinki Railway Station Square on Friday 18 September. Many unions have already started to organise participation. Some unions have say they will stop working during the demonstration and are calling it a political strike.

Public transport including harbours will be widely disrupted and daycare centres partly closed. The Paper Workers' Union will stop production at the paper mills for 24 hours.

JHL (14.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The situation in the labour market in Finland is now exceptionally tense. The Government announced plans to introduce legislation that will shorten annual leave, eliminate two bank holidays, make the first day of sick leave unpaid and cut extra pay for working overtime and on Sundays.

The ones who will pay the price for all this will be women working in the public sector, says Jarkko Eloranta, Chairperson of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.

Annual leave will be shortened from 38 to 30 working days, if the Government get their way and this measure is passed in Parliament. “Some 60 - 70 per cent of those employed in municipalities and the state sector have holidays of more than 30 days”, Eloranta says.

The two scrapped bank holidays would be free days but unpaid.

Extra pay for working on Sunday would be limited to 75 per cent, down from 100 per cent. Overtime pay would be reduced to half, from 50 per cent to 25 per cent.

Helsinki (11.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The new Government intends to shorten annual leave, eliminate two bank holidays, make the first day of sick leave unpaid and cut extra pay for working overtime and on Sundays. Naturally enough, the trade unions disapprove strongly and also stress that the Government is interfering dangerously with the right of labour market organisations to make their own agreements.

The right-wing Government of Prime Minister Sipilä announced it will introduce new legislation that sets the maximum limits of what can be agreed collectively in certain cases.

This goes against the accepted norms of collective agreements, which up until now, allowed for legislation to set minimum limits for what can be agreed upon, not maximum.

Existing labour legislation is designed to protect the weaker party, employees. Now the Government wants to turn this upside down and protect the interests of employers.

(Helsinki 02.09.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Trade union membership in Finland remains high. And it is highest among those employed in industry, where 80.8 per cent of wage and salary earners belong to a union. Also, more women tend to be union members than men.

The latest figures are based on statistical information up until the end of 2013 and are from a study by Lasse Ahtiainen published by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. This is the fifth similar type study since 1989.

At the end of 2013 the total level of organised employees was 64.5 per cent. This shows a slight fall off in membership from a previous study in 2009 when union density was 67.4 per cent.

In the public service sectors, the rate of union membership was 76.3 per cent, while in the private service sectors it was 51.6 per cent.

JHL (31.08.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL is still ready to embrace measures to improve the prospects of Finnish services and products, says JHL Chairperson Jarkko Eloranta regarding negotiations on the so called social contract.

Back at the end of May Prime Minister Sipilä’s Government Programme set a target to improve Finnish economic competitiveness by reducing unit labour costs by at least five per cent.

To this end a tripartite process was embarked on by the Government, the employer associations and trade union confederations. The second round of these negotiations ended without a result in August.

”It is a pity that negotiations ended at such an early stage”, Eloranta says. ”Finland - we all - needs high quality services and products in order to succeed better than we are doing today, both in the domestic and international market.”

JHL (25.08.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The City of Espoo decided in August to corporatize their municipal enterprise Espoo Catering. The employees are deeply disappointed and wore black ribbons on their arms for two days while working.

”We want to guarantee the food service of school pupils, day care centres and the elderly, but the black ribbon demonstrates our feelings following the decision”, says JHL shop steward Kristiina Salo for the Motiivi magazine of JHL.

There has been lengthy debate in the City of Espoo on whether to outsource or corporatize the city services. In May the City Council voted not to outsource technical and maintenance services.

JHL has strongly opposed the planned outsourcings and corporatizations. This is in line with the wishes of Espoo residents.

(Helsinki 22.08.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Yet another attempt to draft a so called social contract for the labour market has failed. The discussion round now was about to draft a list of issues to be negotiated during the next year.

Back at the end of May Prime Minister Sipilä’s Government Programme set a target to improve Finnish economic competitiveness by reducing unit labour costs by at least five per cent.

To this end a tripartite process was embarked on between the Government, the employer associations and trade union confederations. Now, after several attempts Prime Minister declared that the negotiations have come to a close.