Trade Union News from Finland

Helsinki (09.12.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Collective bargaining has come to a halt or been blocked almost everywhere. The reason for this is the ironclad mutual coordination now in place by private sector employers.

Paradoxically, employers have for a very long time been speaking out in favour of a decentralised collective bargaining system. Every branch should negotiate on the basis of the realities of that very branch, they say.

It is now clear that the employers are taking a very determined stance, probably more so than ever before, on collective bargaining, everywhere. As there has been, so far, no deal in the export industries, such as the metal or chemical industry, the leadership of the employers' associations seem to be unwilling to accept any deals at all.

Helsinki (28.11.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Antti Palola, President of STTK, was elected to the Executive Bureau of the International Trade Union Confederation ITUC. He is the only member from the Nordic Countries on it.

The elections took place at the 5th ITUC World Congress in Melbourne, Australia. Palola was elected as one of the 34 Vice Presidents and also as one of the 25 members of the Executive Bureau.

The ITUC’s primary mission is to promote and defend workers' rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, and by way of global campaigning and advocacy within major global institutions.

Helsinki (16.11.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Akava congress elected Maria Löfgren as the new President of the trade union confederation. She beat Jari Jokinen comfortably, by getting 514 votes to his 383.

Before the congress, support for both candidates seemed to be quite even, with perhaps a slight lead showing in Löfgren’s favour. However, on the day of the congress, the result soon became clear, as more unions said they would support Löfgren. Among these were unions like the Finnish Medical Association (47 votes) and The Union of Professionals in Natural, Environmental and Forestry Sciences Loimu (22 votes).

In general, but not exclusively, Löfgren enjoyed more support from those unions working mainly in the public sector or having a major share of female members. Jokinen’s stronghold tended to centre around unions with members working mainly in the private sector, technology and business - and being often male-dominated unions.

Helsinki (04.11.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Akava, one of the three Finnish trade union confederations, will elect a new President on 14 November. Both candidates have an equally good chance of claiming the prize.

The long time Akava President Sture Fjäder will step down prematurely and the Akava congress will elect his successor. There are just two candidates, lawyer Maria Löfgren and Master of Science in Technology Jari Jokinen.

Both work as executive directors in the Akava organisation, Löfgren in the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals - JUKO and Jokinen in the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland - TEK. Löfgren is politically independent, Jokinen is a member of the right-wing National Coalition Party - like the incumbent Akava President Sture Fjäder.

  1. Employers' television commercial attacks public sector employees
  2. Negotiations for pay rise in technology and chemical industry come to nothing and have now been terminated
  3. Nurses’ unions accept the new pay deal
  4. Summer Job Helpline once again answered young people’s questions
  5. The new controversial Patient Security Act limits the right to strike
  6. Nurses' Autumn of discontent
  7. Survey: UPM do not treat salaried employees even-handedly
  8. Akava President Sture Fjäder moves on to politics
  9. Labour market parties shoot down the Minister's proposal of income tax cuts to partly replace pay rise
  10. New union website helps to deal with racism in multicultural workplaces