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Helsinki (22.10.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Trade union membership figures shot up in September due to the Government’s plans to radically cut workers' benefits. Now the trade union confederations are campaigning to recruit new members especially among young people.

The slogan of the campaign is ‘How do you feel about it?’ The first part of the campaign in winter 2014 raised questions like zero-hour contracts, equal salaries and overtime work without compensation.

The second part of the campaign is now focusing on people from 20 to 35 years of age. According to the surveys they are worried about questions such as security against dismissals, the right to holidays and combining family with working life.

The campaign was launched in October with five humorous TV-spots. These are shown and viewed widely on various web sites and also screened in cinemas.

JHL (16.10.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The number of JHL members in the cleaning services went up by 13 per cent in the period from the beginning of 2014 to September 2015. The Union has had a special focus in all this with its Clean Power project.

The total number of JHL members working in the cleaning services is almost 22,000.

”The project included visits to working places, several professional events, study days and seminars. The whole cleaning sector also garnered a lot of publicity both in the Union magazine Motiivi and other media”, says JHL Vocational Officer Riitta Vehovaara.

Helsinki (14.10.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) New clouds hover over the Finnish economy, the Labour Institute for Economic Research’s most recent economic forecast says.

During the first half of 2015 Finnish GNP has remained at the same level as last year. In the second quarter growth was estimated at 0.2 per cent, which is less than the European average.

According to the Labour Institute one the main reasons for such a weak growth is the steep decline in exports to Russia. Growth will come, but it will be slow and in large measure it will be fuelled by the upswing in construction and services.

Next year looks slightly more promising, according to Institute forecasts. ”Finnish GDP will grow this year by 0.4 per cent and next year by 1.2 per cent compared to the previous year. Next year also industry and exports will contribute to economic growth.”

Helsinki (01.10.2015 – Heikki Jokinen) The Government has once again changed course with its confusing proposals for new labour market legislation. It is also asking the labour market parties to negotiate alternative solutions to the austerity measures put forward by the Government.

The Government has now decided to reverse its plan to reduce Sunday and overtime pay, replacing those measures with a 30 per cent cut in holiday pay instead.

Holiday pay is the 50 per cent bonus that is paid to almost all Finnish wage and salary earners for their annual vacation: for a six weeks holiday you get nine weeks salary.

The feedback the right-wing Government received for its original plans to cut Sunday and overtime pay was loud and clear. The plan would have meant cutting the incomes of low-paid workers for the most part, often part-time employed women working in professions like health care and services.

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.