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Helsinki (09.01.2006/edited 11.01.2006 – Juhani Artto) The Nordic countries are well-known for their high rate of trade union membership and the essential role collective agreements play in the labour market. Nordic companies have a long tradition of dealing constructively with union organisations. Therefore one would assume that Nordic companies would apply the same pattern in their operations in the Baltic States.

However, ground-breaking studies by the Finnish researcher Markku Sippola, show that another company policy towards trade unions also exists.

Helsinki (22.11.2004 – Juhani Artto, Daryl Taylor) A strike by bus drivers over the rapidly growing use of part-time drivers ended yesterday after the Finnish Transport Workers' Union approved an offer by the employers to give full-time jobs to all part-timers who prefer to drive full-time. The proposal also includes a promise not to increase the use of part-time drivers before the present collective agreement expires in January 2006.

The strike lasted for almost two weeks.

The problem concerned two foreign-owned transport companies. Connex, with 56,000 employees, is Europe's largest private passenger transport company. The Connex Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the global corporation Veolia Environment (formerly Vivendi Environnement), which is listed on the stock exchanges of Paris and New York.

Helsinki (21.11.2004 – Juhani Artto) At the end of October there were hundreds of angry and disappointed timber and plywood workers around Finland. The forest industry giant UPM-Kymmene – a company with a long history of socially responsible behaviour – had announced a decision to eliminate 672 permanent jobs in Finland. The contracts of some 50 temporary employees would also not be renewed.

This reduction includes the closure of one sawmill and two plywood factories, together with significant downsizing of certain other mechanical woodworking facilities.

Anger ran especially high when the workers learned how little this Finnish-based, financially successful forest industry giant was ready to invest in severance packages. The packages offered were next to nothing, the workers commented.

Helsinki (04.11.2004 – Asko Laitinen) Erik Holmén, 44, is safety representative at the Fincoil mechanical workshop, which has been owned for about a decade by the US multinational Carrier.

Holmén is unhappy with the current setup: “It is very difficult to influence matters in a businesslike manner here. Duties are really dictated to us, and control is tight. The atmosphere is unpleasant. The dialogue that occupational safety work normally entails is lacking.”

The occupational safety system at Fincoil is based on the corporation's own Environment & Safety statute (EHS). Holmén's experience suggests that the joint safety committee has lost its purpose, as Carrier’s European management dictates regulations from its headquarters in France. The French management reports in turn directly to the USA, where the corporation’s Safety Director holds the reins.

(Helsinki 25.10.2004 - Juhani Artto) In April 2001 almost half (46 per cent) of the Finnish public entirely or at least broadly accepted the claim that "enterprises feel genuine responsibility for employees and their jobs". This is no longer the case. By September 2004 only just under one third (31 per cent) of survey respondents in Finland were still of this opinion.

This dramatic change was one finding of a Gallup Finland survey commissioned by SAK, the largest central trade union organisation in Finland. 1,000 people aged 15 years and over were interviewed in Finland for this survey.

A similar negative trend was shown in attitudes to the claim that "nowadays enterprises only defend their own interests without concern for the public interest". Almost three out of four (72 per cent) interviewees agreed either wholly or partially with this claim in 2004, compared to two thirds (66 per cent) of respondents in April 2001.

Helsinki (18.10.2004 – Juhani Artto) One important feature of Finnish society is the high esteem enjoyed by the trade unions. Despite an oft-repeated prognosis, and despite the fears expressed by union activists, this high esteem looks set to continue for several years to come.

This conclusion may be drawn from the latest opinion survey on the issue. As much as 89 per cent of the Finnish public agree that membership of a trade union organisation is important. This attitude prevails in a large majority of all social and age groups.

Even in the youngest age group, from 15 to 24 years, 87 per cent shared the idea that the union movement is important. The survey confirms the results of previous surveys made among young adults: the main reason why young people fail to join a trade union is lack of information.

Helsinki (02.10.2004 - Juhani Artto) New regulations on workplace drug tests entered into force on 1 October. The reform was prepared by a tripartite forum in which the trade union point of view was taken seriously. The trade union position fared even better when the matter was considered by the Finnish Parliament.

The starting point of the new legislation is the need to protect employee privacy. This involves significant restrictions on the freedom of employers. No tests may be performed at the workplace, and it is for the employee to provide the test results to the employer. These tests must be performed by a competent health care professional.

When recruiting new staff the employer may require a drug test only from the candidate who has been selected. Even this right only applies to jobs that require precision, reliability, independent judgement and advanced reflexes.

Helsinki (06.09.2004 – Juhani Artto) Last month the Court of Appeal of Turku confirmed that the HGV drivers’ collective agreement has been of generally binding character for several years. The decision was a major victory for the Transport Workers’ Union, which had campaigned for this outcome since the mid-1990s.

During the long drawn-out process various public authorities cited statistics that did not accurately reflect the real situation. When this was even done by the Chancellor of Justice, challenging a decision of then Minister Terttu Huttu-Juntunen to confirm the generally binding character of the agreement, the union had to do a great deal of hard work to secure reliable figures.

The union gathered staffing data from 5,343 enterprises. This required co-operation between union officials and hundreds of rank-and-file activists. It took two years to complete the work.

Helsinki (27.08.2004 – Juhani Artto) The electronics industry giant Philips intends to make its entire supplier network behave in an ethical manner based on sustainable principles. This policy will apply to both labour rights and the environmental and social impacts of suppliers.

Philips announced this goal in March 2004.

The challenge is ambitious, as Philips buys goods and services from about 50,000 suppliers around the world. These purchases were valued at EUR 19.2 billion last year.

SAK (18.08.2004) Almost one in two (45 per cent) working age Estonians are willing to work abroad. Roughly the same proportion (47 per cent) would primarily like to work in Estonia. These were two of the major findings in an opinion survey conducted by TNS Gallup and published by SAK on the eve of Estonian accession to the European Union in May. 1,009 Estonians were interviewed for the survey in February 2004.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) of Estonians would be prepared to work illegally in Finland. This figure was clearly lower than the 35 per cent recorded in a 2002 survey. Over the same period willingness to work without redundancy protection fell from 23 per cent to 16 per cent.

A majority (56 per cent) said that Estonians must be paid at the same level as Finns in the Finnish labour market. However, 27 per cent would be satisfied with pay below the Finnish standard.