Trade Union News from Finland
Tekijä (13.12.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) The Government Programme of Finland's right-wing government is a barter-like arrangement between the two major Government parties, the National Coalition Party and the Finns Party.
The Coalition Party got major changes favouring employers in the labour laws, like limiting the right to strike, and radical cuts in welfare. The Finns Party got a long list of changes to make life more difficult for foreign people living in Finland.
Proposals for such new legislation have not been formulated yet. However, the Government Programme lists several pages of measures that would negatively affect foreign born people living in Finland or planning to move here.
Tekijä (13.12.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) The Orpo-Purra Government plan to expel those with work-based residence permits who are out of work for three months comes in for a lot of criticism. Not only from trade unions, but also from employers and the public sector.
This is right, as the rule would be not only cruel but also stupid. In many cases, we are speaking of people who have been here for a long time and do work that is very much in demand.
When a job suddenly comes to an end, three months is quite a short time to find a new job. The employment process with applications, interviews and decision-making easily takes that long. At the same time, many companies and public services complain of a shortage of labour.
Tekijä (15.11.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) The new Finnish right-wing Government plans radical changes to labour legislation. Their grand plan is clearly designed to tip the balance of power in workplaces to unilaterally favour employers.
Arto Satonen, Minister of Employment, claims the new unjust laws are just minor changes in step with other Nordic countries. To put it mildly, this is simply not true. On the contrary.
The Orpo-Purra Government is simply cherry-picking labour laws from other countries. They only selected a handful of such changes that clearly benefit employers and company owners. In many cases, they modified these changes to be even be more disadvantageous to employees.
Tekijä (15.11.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) One of the most draconian changes the Finnish right-wing Government is planning is to make dismissals easier. At present, our law requires “relevant and serious grounds” for a dismissal. The Orpo-Purra Government will drop the serious grounds and allow relevant grounds as sufficient reason for dismissal .
This is clearly designed to make dismissal easier. In law, even a simple word can make a difference and is not dropped without serious grounds.
The German economy has been doing well for decades. Yet, dismissal is much more difficult there than here, and no Government has attempted to challenge that.
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