Archive

Helsinki (19.02.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Negotiations to reform the labour market bargaining system broke down after more than one year of work. The trade unions say the reason for this was the employers’ determination to focus solely on the issue of raising fines imposed for illegal strikes in spite of the many other issues on the table.

The national pact for employment and growth in September 2013 included a decision to set up a working group to assess the effectiveness and need for reform of the current bargaining system. Negotiations were held between trade union confederations and employers' organisations.

Helsinki (12.02.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) In certain Stora Enso factory units or operations pay is too low and the use of overtime can be excessive, says a new human rights report. This comprehensive assessment has been published by Stora Enso and was drafted by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The report looked at 43 human rights issue areas, covering labour rights, community impacts and controls for suppliers and business partners. It covered 93 units in 22 countries, as well as some joint operations in Brazil, Uruguay and Pakistan.

The report lists some problem areas. Working hours raised concern in some countries, where the number of staff has been reduced without new recruitments, like in Poland, Austria and Germany.

In China, Latvia and India pay was deemed too low to meet the cost of living. In particular entry level wages were a problem.

There are now three trade union confederations in Finland. SAK, the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions is the largest one with a little over one million members. Just under half of the members of SAK-affiliated unions work in industry, about one third work in private services and one quarter work in the public sector. JHL is a member of SAK.

The second largest is the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK with 600,000 members and which mostly represents salaried employees. Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, has 585,000 highly educated members mainly in academic and managerial professions.

Helsinki (28.01.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) Zero-hours contracts should be outlawed. This is the wish expressed in a citizens’ initiative aimed at the Finnish parliament. If the initiative succeeds in collecting enough signatures, the Finnish Parliament will debate and deliberate on the matter.

Behind the initiative are young trade union activists. The Youth Secretary of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions SAK, Tatu Tuomela, says that the youth of SAK stands firmly behind the initiative.

”Zero-hours contracts and part-time work are a reality for many young workers”, he says.

Helsinki (20.1.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) A merger of trade union confederations now looks like becoming a reality. Delegates from 73 trade union met in Helsinki for a preparatory meeting. The meeting officially endorsed a move to establish a new union confederation in Finland.

Right now there are three trade union confederations in Finland. SAK, the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions is a mainly blue-collar confederation with a little over one million members.

The second largest is the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK with 600,000 members which mostly represents salaried employees. Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland, has 585,000 highly educated members mainly in academic and managerial professions.

JHL (16.01.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The New Year promises to be an eventful one. This is according to Jarkko Eloranta, chairperson of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL, who expects a big upheaval not only in the political arena, but also in the labour market and within the trade union movement. In certain respects we could be entering dangerous or unchartered waters, he adds.

Finland is about to see changes following parliamentary elections in April and the formation of a new government after the elections. Major reforms in the public sector and a new national wage agreement are expected.

The trade union movement is also beginning its own renewal by exploring the possibilities of forming a new comprehensive trade union confederation.

Helsinki (14.01.2015 - Heikki Jokinen) The number of redundancies in the private service sector grew by almost 60 per cent last year in comparison to the year 2013.

Companies operating in the service sector dismissed 6,431 employees in 2014, whereas the number laid off the year before was 4,057. In industry the number of redundancies was smaller, a total of 3,126.

12,447 employees in all lost their jobs, according to statistics from the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK. In the year 2013 the number was 14,522. The statistics are based on the news published and do not include the municipal sector.

JHL (18.12.2014 - Heikki Jokinen) The hardening attitudes of employers is challenging the whole labour market negotiation system, says Jarkko Eloranta, chairperson of Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.

By way of example he mentions the recent and much publicised dismissal of the ABB Helsinki factory shop steward, which led to a major debate and a wave of protests in Finland. According to Eloranta JHL activists report ever increasing pressures on those who represent employees.

”This happens in situations when shop stewards are simply doing their job as part of a local negotiating and bargaining system, as they should do.”

Helsinki (16.12.2014 - Heikki Jokinen) Ann Selin, president of the Service Union United PAM from Finland, was elected as the next president of the UNI Global Union in the UNI World Congress in Cape Town.

In her acceptance speech she stressed the need for peace and sought to highlight the need for tripartism in the labour market as one part of this process. When first introduced in the peace congress in 1919 it was a daring idea, but now it has become a reality in many countries as well being central to the work of the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, se said.

”The idea of tripartism carries widely in promoting peace. We must use this and implement it nationally in every possible way we can. It helps nations to see that there is common ground and that cooperation is the key to peace and better lives for people.”

Helsinki (12.12.2014 - Heikki Jokinen) The firing of a shop steward at the ABB factory in Helsinki quickly brought about a heated debate. The company sacked shop steward Terho Laitila claiming that he was the instigator of illegal walk-outs.

Riku Aalto, the chairperson of Metal Workers' Union reacted robustly.

”The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries say they are willing to intensify local negotiations. But when there has been no result at factory level negotiations, the employer reacts by dismissing the shop steward for unwarranted reasons”, Aalto says.

”As things now stand when an employer doesn’t approve of a person elected by the employees, that person will be relieved of his or her duties.”