Archive

(08.02.2013 - link to the web site of Pam Magazine)

JHL (06.02.2013 - Heikki Jokinen) From the beginning of February the JHL organisation will operate along three divisional or sectional lines: a division for safeguarding interests, a division for organisational and member services and a division dedicated to joint services. The renewed organisation is based on the union strategy "JHL 2017", adopted last June at the Union Council meeting.

Helsinki (01.02.2013 - Heikki Jokinen) In the last few years Finland has been devoting more and more attention to human trafficking cases. In 2004 the Finnish Penal Code was rewritten to include human trafficking as a separate crime and in 2008 the government adopted a Plan of Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. Since then, the courts have handed down guilty verdicts in four cases with several other cases still pending.

(28.01.2013 - link to the web site of Yle News)

(29.01.2013 - link to the web site of Yle News)

(25.01.2013 - link to the web site of University of Helsinki) Abstract of Petteri Raito's thesis; Raito is the editor of Särmä, the magazine of the Wood and Allied Workers' Union.

JHL (24.1.2013 - Heikki Jokinen) JHL is highly critical of the Ministry of the Interior’s plan for legislation on the private security sector. According to the union the new Private Security Services Act would infringe on citizens’ fundamental rights and allow tasks designated for public authority to glide into private hands.

The aim of the proposal is to clarify legislation concerning the private security sector and to uniform the authorisation of those working in this branch. Ari Huuskonen, the JHL police administration shop steward, sees the proposal going even further.

Helsinki (24.01.2013 - Heikki Jokinen) The number of redundancies grew by almost 50 per cent last year, according to statistics from the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK. The number of people who lost their jobs in 2012 was 15,800, whereas the same figure in 2011 was 10,600. Last year's figure is the second highest recorded since 2006, the year in which SAK began collecting this information. In 2009 some 19,700 people lost their jobs.

Last year the number of employees to get a taste of mandatory consultation with regard to possible personnel cuts was 104,000. In 2011 it was 56,000. The Act of Co-operation stipulates that in all undertakings with more than 20 employees any planned redundancies are subject to mandatory consultation with personnel representatives.

Helsinki (23.01.2013 - Juhani Artto) The Finnish watchdog Finnwatch has uncovered serious cases of human and labour rights abuse at three Thai companies supplying tuna and fruits to the Finnish and European markets. Thanks to information furnished by factory workers in Thailand Finnwatch was able to expose the use of both forced labour and child labour.

The companies involved pay illegally low wages and make employees work excessive overtime hours. - Read the English language summary (13-page pdf-file) of the report and the two Finnwatch press releases on the report: Finnwatch reveals serious human rights violations behind European food brands

Helsinki (15.01.2013 - Heikki Jokinen) The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (UIL) are the latest union to join the group of union organizations that have agreed to sponsor Trade Union News from Finland, signing up at the beginning of the year. UIL organizes engineers and other technical experts. It has 70,000 rank and file members of whom 87 per cent work in the private sector. UIL belongs to Akava, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland.

"The most crucial issue for the union right now and that facing our members is the economic insecurity prevailing in Finland and Europe", says Ismo Kokko, the director of collective bargaining. "There has been an inevitable scaling back of the workforce - leading to more unemployment - as a result of the downturn. Export companies have been the first to feel this." A great number of UIL members are working in the export industry.