Archive

Helsinki (08.02.2012 - Heikki Jokinen) Company leadership has a major impact on the ability of employees to perform their work, according to a recent study made by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Investing in good leadership could reduce accidents, the amount of sick leave and general inability to work.

The study is based on information collected from 64 Finnish companies, which together employ 80,000 people. The material covers the years from 2008 to 2011.

Helsinki (06.02.2012 - Heikki Jokinen) The discussion on the proper retirement age is ongoing in Finland, as it is also in many other European countries. Employer organisations are in favour of raising the minimum retirement age, which is now 63.

A new study, published by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, offers some useful suggestions on how to encourage employees to remain longer in working life.

Helsinki (25.01.2012 - Juhani Artto) On Tuesday the High Court made a decision that clearly improves the status of agency labour, says Katarina Murto, a bargaining expert at the union confederation SAK.

The decision rejects the legality of the common practice of manpower agencies to make fixed-term employment agreements based on open-ended assignments procured from user companies.

Helsinki (20.01.2012 - Juhani Artto) What kind of experiences have journalists had, in the course of their work, when dealing with unions and their leaders? And what kind of qualities do journalists appreciate when working with union representatives?

A recent survey throws some light on these matters. The replies from 178 journalists, working at various levels and in various sectors of media organizations, leave no doubt as to what journalists appreciate when it comes to the unions' engagement with the media.

The most important qualities are -in this order- promptness, openness, reliability, availability, willingness to engage, and being up-to-date with the issues at hand.

Helsinki (17.01.2012 - Juhani Artto) The Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland SASK recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. I believe that it is safe to say that the organization has far exceeded the expectations of the some 40 union representatives who participated in the founding meeting of SASK on 5 November 1986.

A short summary of SASK's development demonstrates why such a claim is justified. Its work has significantly expanded and developed when measured by all essential criteria.

Helsinki (05.01.2012 - Heikki Jokinen) Almost all of the eight candidates in the Finnish presidential elections, which will take place on January 22nd 2012, have ordered their campaign gift products from abroad, reports the Industrial Union TEAM.

The campaign pins, mugs, t-shirts, scarves, chocolate and other products are mainly made in the Far East or in some cases in the other European countries, TEAM discovered. Print work is more often than not done in Finland.

Helsinki (02.01.2012 - Juhani Artto) After Boxing Day there has been an urgent demand for skilled lumberjacks and electricians. The demand was created by the storms Finland experienced on Boxing Day and in the days following. The storms were exceptionally strong for this Northern European country, and knocked down, according to first estimates, some 3.5 million cubic meters of trees.

The economic loss for forest owners is estimated to be tens of millions of euros but the day-long cuts in electricity supply has been the main focus in the public domain. When things were at their worst almost 300,000 homes and other customers were left without electricity.

Helsinki (29.12.2011 - Juhani Artto) In the second quarter 2011 the average wages for female workers in Finnish industry were 84.9 per cent of average wages for male workers. In one year the gap has slightly narrowed but it was marginally larger than in the fourth quarter 2006. In the second quarter 2002 the corresponding figure was 80.5 per cent.

Helsinki (28.12.2011 - Juhani Artto) In Finland talk on the economy in the media has in recent months been very pessimistic despite the fact that purchasing power for wage and salary earners is expected to grow in 2012. The constant pessimistic utterances coming from experts have succeeded in undermining people's confidence in their own economic and financial viability to such an extent that it echoes autumn 2008 when recession badly hit European economies.

These gloomy sentiments ignore the prognosis published by the Taxpayers' Association of Finland (TAF) earlier in December. TAF estimates that wages and salaries will increase on average by 3.4 per cent, whereas prices are predicted to rise by 2.6 per cent. As taxes will slightly increase the real value of wages and salaries will improve on average of 0.6 per cent.

Helsinki (09.12.2011 - Juhani Artto) Last year, the almost 3,000 affiliates of foreign companies in Finland employed 215,000 men and women. This adds up to15 per cent of all company personnel in the country. The share of turnover was even higher, 20 per cent. 

Affiliates of Swedish companies employed over 70,000 persons, U.S. companies over 20,000 and both UK and German companies slightly below 20,000.