Archive

Helsinki (07.04.2009) It has now become very apparent that the graphics industry in Finland has no real alternative other than a significant structural change. Overcapacity had already caused serious problems for many companies several years prior to the current recession, as the common practise was to compete by lowering prices. And consequently profits took a dip.

Now with demand rapidly slowing, due to the recession, the overcapacity problem has become even more aggravated.

A new study, commissioned by the Media Union, offers concrete figures on how serious the situation is. The study covers 373 small and medium-size companies, and 44 of these face "a high bankruptcy risk" and 99 "a rather significant bankruptcy risk". The situation is worst at plants that use mainly sheet-fed printing presses.

Helsinki (16.03.2009 - Juhani Artto) In the shops there are over 600 products based on nanotechnology, such as socks, tooth paste, sun cream and bed sheets. It has been forecast that annual sales will grow from the present EUR100 billion to EUR2,500 billion.

The possibilities are enormous but we know barely anything about the risks, says Kai Savolainen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. And he is the right person to speak about risks, as he is the Institute's director of the nanotechnology safety research and acts also as the coordinator of European research projects on nanotechnology health risks. Recently SAK's magazine Palkkatyöläinen published his insights, presented in a trade union seminar, on nanotechnology risks.

Helsinki (20.02.2009 / edited 22.02.2009 – Juhani Artto) Campaigners and supporters of the merger between six industrial unions could heave a sigh of relief on Thursday evening. The ballots in two major unions ended in favour of the merger.

In the Metalworkers’ Union 55.6 per cent of the members, participating in the ballot, gave the green light to the merger. In the Chemical Workers’ Union 62.1 per cent voted for the merger. Voter participation was decent enough with 26.5 per cent of the Metalworkers’ Union and 29.5 per of the Chemical Workers’ Union coming out to cast their ballots.

The two unions are the largest ones of the six unions. Their rank and file members make up almost two thirds of the planned 330,000 rank and file super-union. Earlier the delegations of the Media Union (graphical workers) and the Wood and Allied Workers’ Union had positioned themselves clearly in favour of the merger.

Helsinki (17.02.2009 / updated 17.02.2009 - Juhani Artto) Should the Finnish and Estonian unions merge? In Jyrki Raina's opinion the idea is worth serious analysis and consideration. His comment was recently published in Ahjo, the magazine of the Finnish Metalworkers' union.

Raina works as the secretary general of the Nordic IN, a federation of 22 Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic unions that represent 1.2 million employees in the various industrial sectors and mining.

Nordic unions have supported Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian unions since the early 1990s. However, the support has not lead to a renewal of the Baltic trade unions, which has caused frustration in the Nordic unions, Raina writes.

TU (16.02.2009) Nokia's plan to close down the R & D unit in Jyväskylä means casting aside over 300 high-quality employees. Given the present world situation this is incomprehensible business policy, claims a highly critical Union of Salaried Employees (TU).

If the company implements its plan, the union demands full responsibility from the employer. Finnish employees who will be given notice must be treated equally with the German employees who last year lost their jobs at the mobile telephone plant in Bochum.

"It is hard to believe that Nokia would cut activity that is very significant to its future. Employees in Jyväskylä are confused and worried. Their ability has been a resource for the whole company. They are very motivated top professionals. The unit that Nokia now plans to close played a role when the company made a profit of almost EUR1,000 million at the end of last year, Antti Rinne, the President of the TU says, demanding Nokia reveal the reasons for its plan.

Helsinki (14.02.2009 - Juhani Artto) The economic forecast of the Labour Institute for Economic Reasearch (LIER) is the most pessimistic of all recent forecasts on Finnish economy.

Helsinki (06.02.2009 - Juhani Artto) This Monday the Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen voiced his criticism of most Finnish Members of the European Parliament, in relation to the recent voting on the working hour directive. Only two Finnish MEPs supported the proposal, approved by the Council of Ministers and, according to Vanhanen, overwhelmingly approved in Finland across party lines.

Vanhanen's statement was indiscreet and undervalued the rules of democracy, the staff members of the EWCs of eight large Finnish forest industry companies (Stora Enso, UPM, M-real etc.) claimed at their meeting on Thursday. Vanhanen's interference in the independent consideration and voting behaviour of the MEPs, elected by the Finnish people, also shows lack of expertise, the union representatives said.

They wondered whether this was a clumsy attempt by Vanhanen to raise his political profile by walking over the democratically elected representatives in relation to EU matters.

Helsinki (04.02.2009 - Juhani Artto) This Monday the Council of Finnish Industrial Unions TP published an initiative that would facilitate a negotiated agreement, between all labour market organisations, to boost the competitiveness of companies and maintain purchasing power of wage and salary earners.

The agreement would create a peaceful atmosphere for the labour market in the difficult years ahead, TP argues. The agreement would also prevent the worst -case scenario from materialising- mass unemployment.

TP has invited the employer organisations of the industrial sectors and the service sector employer organisations, closely connected with the industry, to negotiations that will take place on 25 February. The goal of the meeting will be to establish whether it’s possible to find common ground in a process that would lead to such an agreement.

Helsinki (27.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) The two largest unions involved in the six industrial unions' amalgamation project (TEAM) will soon decide their respective positions towards the whole project.

Rank and file members of the Chemical Workers' Union will vote on the issue from 5 to 19 February, in a vote which will be binding. And during the same time frame the Metalworkers' Union will hold a consultative referendum but its leaders have promised to honour the position of the majority.

Helsinki (26.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) The major labour market parties announced on Thursday that they have reached common understanding on a few changes in unemployment benefits and the financing of pensions. The organisations behind the proposals are the union confederations SAK, STTK and Akava and the employers' Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK).

The package is a compromise on important social policy issues that have in recent times been under discussion. Some of the issues concerned are also being dealt with by the SATA committee, which is preparing a comprehensive reform of the Finnish social welfare system.

Reactions to the proposals have mainly been positive, especially in the trade union movement. For the latter the negotiations and their outcome are seen as a continuation of the comprehensive income policy agreements.