New collective agreements slightly
reduce pay gaps
in the municipal sector
Helsinki (08.02.2010 - Juhani Artto) The negotiators in the
municipal sector have been able to reach common ground concerning new collective
agreements. The negotiation outcome still has to be approved by the decision making
bodies. The new agreements are for two years. The agreements do not include any pay rises
common to all. Instead, certain groups, such as catering, cleaning, social and
kindergarten employees, will receive (from 1 February) on average, an 0.8 per cent pay
rise. On September 1 another rise (0.7 per cent) will be awarded locally for purposes that
improve results at work units.New agreement for the 30,000 salaried
employees
in the technology industry
TU (03.02.2010) A person from outside (of the parties) will set about
clarifying what constitutes the factors concerning the dividing or demarcation line
between salaried employees from senior salaried employees. - After
months of bargaining a new collective agreement for the 30,000 salaried employees in the
technology industry has been reached. The board of the Union of Salaried Employees TU
approved the agreement on Thursday. The first pay rise -0.5 per cent- will be paid in
February. Negotiations on the following pay rise will be finalised by the end of May 2010.
If the parties do not reach common understanding, the agreement may expire by the end of
September 2010.
Dispute
at teleoperator DNA resolved
TU (03.02.2010) TU and the employer association TIKLI have
agreed upon a resolution that will immediately bring an end to the strikes and the support
strikes. - On Sunday, TU and the Employers' Association TIKLI were able to find
common ground in the dispute at the teleoperator DNA. The parties have agreed not to
publish the content of the agreement.
Bargaining round 2009-2010:
Modest pay rises and "wait and
see" tactics
Helsinki (29.01.2010 - Juhani Artto) On January 31 the
collective agreement in the municipal sector and several other large and small collective
agreements expire. And many more will expire in the next few months. On Thursday, 30 000
salaried employees in the technology industry received a new collective agreement. It
raises their salaries by 0.5 per cent. The agreement includes a new approach on how to
solve the dispute concerning what groups of salaried employees the agreement covers. A
person from outside (of the parties) will clear up factors that demarcate salaried
employees from senior salaried employees. The dispute concerns thousands of salaried
employees who, according to the Union of Salaried Employees TU, lose thousands of euros as
their employers applied the agreement covering the senior salaried employees to them.
Government reaches out to Thai women
(27.01.2010 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Cooperation with
Russia is not enough to save Finnish economy
(26.01.2010 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Foreign berrypickers gain more
rights
(21.01.2010 - link to the web site of Yle News)
STX Finland workers strike at shipyard
(21.01.2010 - link to the web site of BusinessWeek)
Foreign workers in ethnic restaurants are often flagrantly underpaid
(19.01.2010 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Many work for just a few euros per
hour - or even less
Helsinki (18.01.2010 - Juhani Artto) On Saturday, Helsingin
Sanomat, the largest daily in Finland, reported on wages that barely exceed EUR3 per hour.
According to the story, immigrant labour inspector Anssi Riihijärvi has uncovered such
miserable wages in a few ethnic restaurants. The minimum wage –as defined in the
catering sector collective agreement that is of a generally binding character- should be
more than 9EUR per hour. A similar, and even wider discrepancy prevails in the mail
distribution industry. The Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU has recently voiced strong
criticism of companies for paying -in the worst instances- as little as EUR2 per hour. The
minimum is four times higher than that, under the industry's collective agreement.
Collective bargaining in the municipal sector:
JHL wants minimum pay
of EUR1,500 per month
JHL (15.01.2010 - Juhani Artto) The main collective agreement in the municipal sector is
in force until 31 January 2010. It covers 314 000 municipal employees in health,
childcare, cleaning and several other sectors. Preparations for upcoming decisive
negotiations have been going on -in several working groups- for a long time now. On Monday
January 11 the main negotiators of the organisations involved began their efforts to
create a new agreement. Their common goal is to finalise the negotiations by the end of
January. JHL - The
Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors wants the minimum pay to be raised to
EUR1,500 per month and family leave to be improved. JHL also aims to develop the status of
employees in atypical employment relations and the rights of safety representatives.
JHL in the state sector bargaining:
Government employees have to be
protected by binding regulations
Collective bargaining in the state sector began on Tuesday January 12. "This time our goals are
closely connected with the unprecedented changes in government organisations", says Tuire
Santamäki-Vuori, the President of the JHL - The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare
Sectors. "The
focus will be on the management of these changes. We want employees to receive decent pay
and working conditions and pay systems to be applied properly. Recently, we have had bad experiences with the government's personnel policy and no longer
trust recommendations and promises to improve working conditions. We need binding
regulations."
Few strikes over pay
(15.01.2010 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Dismissals doubled in 2009:
SAK wants economic
stimulus to continue
Helsinki (11.01.2010 - Juhani Artto) In 2009 almost 20,000
employees were given notice. This was double that of the previous year. And, the number of
employees whose jobs were under threat in company-based mandatory consultations between
employer and employee representatives had even trebled. The main union confederation SAK
-which has collected this data from public sources- published its annual summary of
dismissals etc. on Thursday. "So far the employment situation is not showing any
signs of improvement. Probably it will weaken further in the coming months", says
Janne Metsämäki, the head of SAK's unit of economic and industrial policy.
"Insecurity at work places and in companies will continue. Therefore, it is vitally
important that much needed stimulation of the economy is not halted prematurely."
Residence permits to include the right to work
(17.12.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Kemianliitto and Media Union become
Finnish TEAM
(14.12.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Finland's energy future will rest on
water, nuclear, wood, wind
and bio waste, SAK says
Helsinki (13.12.2009 - Juhani Artto) The price of electricity is
more important or critical for Finland than for most other countries. It is not only due
to the cold climate and long distances in this sparsely populated northern country but
also due to the major role the energy intensive industry plays in Finland's economy. This
is one of the starting points in the 27 page "discussion paper" on climate
change and energy published on December 7 by SAK, the largest union confederation in Finland.
The price of electricity has to be maintained at a reasonably low cost level so as not to
threaten the competitiveness of industry and to ensure that energy consumption
doesn’t eat up too large a proportion of people’s income. As to global and
European issues SAK primarily refers to recent policy statements made by the International
Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). SAK is
an affiliated member of both.
Capital city region signs immigrant employment plan
(09.12.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Shop stewards at Rautaruukki:
Suicides only tip of iceberg
Helsinki (07.12.2009 - Juhani Artto) This autumn four employees
of the Rautaruukki steel mill in Raahe have committed suicide. They represent only the tip
of iceberg when it comes to the indisposition of the personnel, according to shop steward
Mika Vuoti and safety representative Alpo Pirneskoski. "The management has for
several years completely ignored the needs of the employees. In the last few years the
employer has unilaterally demolished good practises that had been agreed upon
together", Vuoti says bluntly.
Employers dislike
levelling of costs between unemployment funds
Helsinki (06.12.2009 - Juhani Artto) The dues or contributions paid by an
employee to his or her unemployment fund depend on the unemployment rate in that industry.
At present the rate in the engineering, electronic and wood-working industries is clearly
above the average. Consequently, members of the unemployment funds in these industries
have to pay high dues towards their unemployment insurance. The levelling system slightly
helps to reduce the highest contributions, but this year only EUR3m is being used for
levelling. The unemployment insurance fund had budgeted EUR10m for levelling but the
employer representatives, taking advantage of their majority on the board, decided to set
aside only EUR3m for the purpose.
Paperworkers in Finland, Netherlands take strike actions
against Sappi
(30.11.2009 - link to the web site of ICEM)
Chemical industry employees' pay rises
exceed
the upper limit set by the powerful employer confederation EK
Helsinki (26.11.2009 - Juhani Artto) On Tuesday, negotiators
from the chemical industry trade unions and employer federations agreed on new collective
agreements. Next year, when the agreements take effect, wages and salaries will be raised
by slightly more than the 0.5 per cent limit the powerful employer confederation EK has
tried to force into agreements in all industries where collective bargaining is under way.
Chemical workers' pay is set to go up in May by 0.6 per cent at national level and by 0.3
per cent at local level. And salaries for the salaried employees will receive an increase
in June of 0.5 per cent at national level and 0.4 per cent at local level.
ICT industry employers treat salaried
employees badly
Call centres are especially harsh workplaces, TU's survey shows
TU (24.11.2009) Salaried employees face more problems in the ICT industry than salaried
employees in any other industry, the survey made by the Union of Salaried Employees TU
reveals. An especially harsh place to have to work is in call centres. Salaried employees
in the ICT industry are on sick leave on average 15 days per annum where as the average
sick leave for all salaried employees is 10 days. The real gap is even wider, as many
women, within the 30 to 40 years of age bracket, temporarily employed in the ICT industry,
come to work in spite of being ill. When salaried employees were asked are they given
enough information on work-related matters the ICT industry proved to be much worse in
this respect than several other industries.
TU warns of strike in the technology
industry
TU (17.11.2009) The Union of Salaried Employees TU announced on Monday a strike warning in
the technology industry. The strike would cover nine units of ABB, Nokia, STX Finland and
Rautaruukki. Almost 2 000 salaried employees will take part in the industrial action that
will last from December 1 to December 8. The collective agreement between TU and the
Federation of Finnish Technology Industries expires on 30 November. The agreement
determines the pay and working conditions for 30 000 salaried employees in the technology
and metal industries. These two labour market organisations have negotiated a new
collective agreement since April 2009 but no new agreement has emerged thus far. And, now
things have reached a critical stage.
Termination of fixed-term jobs creates
more unemployment than redundancies
Helsinki (15.11.2009 - Juhani Artto) Redundancies make the headlines, but when fixed-term
employment comes to an end it receives little public attention. However, in Finland it is
the termination of fixed-term jobs, which results in far more unemployment than what can
be attributed to redundancies. According to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy,
since the year 2000, termination of fixed-time employment has annually resulted in up to
half a million periods of unemployment. In other words the cessation of fixed-time
employment causes more unemployment than all other reasons put together.
Wood workers’ union interprets
UPM’s announcement
of mass redundancies as industrial action
Helsinki (05.11.2009 / updated 08.11.2009
– Juhani Artto) Wood and Allied Workers’ Union reaction to UPM's plan to close
several productive facilities in the mechanical forest industry was one of incredulity and
total incomprehension. There are already signs of recovery, Sakari Lepola, the President
of the union says. He refers to estimates coming from Finnvera, a government owned
financing company, and of the Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla. Also UPM itself has
hinted, in its quarterly report, to recovery, Lepola says.
Ski resort strikes could threaten
alpine world cup
(04.11.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
TU contests UPM's plans to close
several mills and demands preparation of a from-work-to-work programme
TU (04.11.2009) The Union of Salaried Employees TU contests the basis of UPM's
announcement to close its productive facilities at three localities. If the decision goes
ahead, almost 900 salaried employees and workers from the veneer and lumber production
will lose their jobs. The union is keen to remind everyone that recently demand for and
deliveries of veneer and lumber have clearly been growing. TU bases its judgement on,
among other things, the latest quarterly report of UPM itself.
Shop steward was targeted at mandatory consultation:
Dismissal of shop steward caused
walkout at Evac
TU (30.10.2009) At noon on Thursday the entire workforce of Evac walked out at their place
of work in Espoo. Sixty salaried employees are taking part in the work stoppage that,
probably, will last until Friday morning. The company designs and produces wastewater
collection and treatment solutions for the marine and building industry. Those involved in
the stoppage are protesting at the dismissal of the senior salaried employees' shop
steward. The personnel believe that he was fired because of his position as a shop
steward.
More effective means needed to stop
grey economy from expanding
Helsinki (27.10.2009 - Juhani Artto) In Finland the grey economy is a smaller problem than
in most countries in the world. However, since the mid 1990s it has grown to be a real
pest. It creates problems for companies who operate honestly and in compliance with the
law and additionally deprives the state of billions of euros in tax money and social
security payments each year. According to experts, the problem tends to get even
worse in times of economic recession, such as the present one.
Agreement on income development programme
for the property managament sector
(22.10.2009 - link to the web site of PAM)
Strike threatens to hamper opening of Finland's ski
resorts
(22.10.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Companies establish guidelines for use of online social media
(20.10.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Striving for more
bargaining power:
TU and Electrical Workers’
Union opt for closer cooperation
Helsinki (13.10.2009 - Juhani Artto) The Electrical Workers' Union and the Union of
Salaried Employees announced on Monday that they had agreed on much closer cooperation.
The goal is to increase their bargaining power. The two organisations also want to
intensify cooperation in internal and external communication, training and international
work. Around half of the rank and file members of the two unions have common employers in
industry, the energy sector, the ICT sector, and in the construction industry. Martti
Alakoski, the president of the Electrical Workers Union regards close cooperation between
the unions as only natural because at many work places it is difficult to draw the line
between work done by electricians and by salaried employees.
Chemical and Graphic workers unions to
merge
Helsinki (12.10.2009 - Juhani Artto) Two industrial unions that
have their roots in the 19th century will amalgamate. They are the Chemical Workers' Union
and the Media Union. The new union, TEAM, will have 67,000 rank-and -file members, which
makes it the fifth largest union in the union confederation SAK. Officially TEAM will
start functioning on 1 January 2010. The final formal decisions completing the merger will
be made on 13 November 2009 by the extraordinary congress of the Media Union and on 26-27
November 2009 by the general council of the Chemical Workers' Union. The two unions were
already well prepared for this merger process after the amalgamation effort of five SAK
industrial unions failed in June 2009.
Over a third
of municipal workers will retire in ten years
Helsinki (12.10.2009 - Juhani Artto) By 2019 more than a third of the
437,000 municipal workers will retire. In the future, development and provision of
services may prove to be even more difficult for municipal organisations as the
increasingly stressful work may compel more employees to seek early retirement than
predicted. The worst prospects concern cleaning. By 2019 over half of the municipal
cleaners will retire. The health and home care sectors will also face huge recruitment
requirements. Almost half of hospital and home care assistants will retire in ten years.
Looking after employees' brain and mind should be
part of companies' risk management strategies
Helsinki (05.10.2009 - Juhani Artto) It is difficult to
understand why so few companies have invested so little -in terms of their risk management
strategies- when it comes to looking after employees' brain and mind, says research
professor Kiti Müller. She is the director of the Brain and Work Research Centre at the
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. However, when asked, she has an explanation
for this, which she, herself, finds utterly unsatisfactory. The situation goes
hand-in-hand with the fact that -until now- one has not been able to measure objectively
and reliably the overall brain load level. They are caused, for example, by cognitively
demanding work tasks combined with internal, human related factors, such as lack of sleep
or coexisting chronic diseases (diabetes, sleeping disorders, mental stress etc.).
Therefore, company managers, used to paying attention only to measurable variables have
ignored findings and lessons to be learned offered by brain researchers.
Finland's foreigners in the downturn
(03.10.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Service
Union United PAM defends, in earnest,
rights of immigrant labour
Helsinki (21.09.2009 - Juhani Artto) Service Union United PAM
had, at the end of 2008, almost 3,600 rank and file members whose mother language was
other than any of the domestic language in Finland: Finnish, Swedish or Sami. Members,
coming from a foreign background, represented less than 1.7 per cent of the union's total
membership (213,380) but the union regards defence of their rights as very important. New
evidence of this became public in August when the union approved its first immigration
policy programme. In it the union systematically registers what it has, since its
grounding in 2000, done and what now are the central tasks in defending the rights of the
immigrant labour. "Regardless of the reasons for immigration, the starting point must
be human and equal relations for
immigrants", as outlined in PAM's programme.
A new study:
The employment effects of low-wage
subsidies are small
Helsinki (18.09.2009 - excerpt from the
abstract) Low-wage subsidies are often
proposed as a solution to the unemployment problem among the low skilled. Yet the
empirical evidence on the effects of low-wage subsidies is surprisingly scarce. This paper
examines the employment effects of a Finnish payroll tax subsidy scheme, which is targeted
at the employers of older, full-time, low-wage workers . . . . Our results indicate that
the subsidy system had no effects on the employment rate. However, it appears to have
increased the probability of part-time workers obtaining full-time employment. ... Read
the whole study
Finland's employment measures are lagging behind
other OECD countries
(17.09.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
More workers have died in construction-site accidents
than a year ago
(15.09.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
TU cancels
collective agreement with paper industry
TU (16.09.2009) The Union of Salaried Employees TU cancelled its collective agreement with
the paper industry on Friday 11 September.
Almost 5.000 salaried employees in the paper industry will be without a collective
agreement from October 15 unless a new agreement has been approved before that date. TU
and the employer association, Finnish Forest Industries, began talks on Thursday, concerning pay rises during the last
part of the agreement period and the so called "tail" - issues agreed upon in the previous bargaining
round.
Work stoppage by state-owned enterprises on 11 September 2009
(09.09.2009 - link to the web site of JHL)
Companies,
municipalities and the state invest
irrationally little in well-being of employees
Helsinki (08.09.2009 - Juhani Artto) As a whole, in Finland,
companies, municipalities and the state invest far too little in the well-being of their
employees. This is the major conclusion of a new study*. To become economically rational,
business, municipal and government organisations should spend several times more on the
well-being of their employees than they do now. According to Guy Ahonen, one of the three
researchers who carried out the study, the analysis represents a new type of study-the
first of its kind in the world- on employees' well-being. The novelty is that the study
covers all well-being-related investments within work organisations.
Campaign
changes eating habits of construction workers
Helsinki (02.09.2009 - Juhani Artto) The Construction Trade
Union and the Finnish Consumers' Association have reached good results in their two-year
campaign to change the eating habits of construction workers and students. During the
campaign, three well-informed young workers visited hundreds of construction sites and
schools to bring their message on what's good and what's bad in daily diets and eating
habits. They met face-to-face over 25,000 workers and students. Last spring, some 500 of
them filled in the questionnaire outlining their impressions and reactions to the lessons
given by the three promoters. Those who were asked to fill out the questionnaire had met
the promoters on at least two occasions. Five out of six reported positive changes. The
most common change was for the participants to eat more vegetables, fruit and berries. 59
per cent belonged to this group. Almost as many again (58 per cent) had begun to eat less
fast food.
Recession easing
next year - unemployment rate nevertheless
rising to 11 per cent on average
(01.09.2009 - link to the web site of the Labour Institute for
Economic Research)
PT sees Finnish GDP growing at 1.8 pct
in 2010
(01.09.2009 - link to the web site of Helsinki Times / STT)
"World's
metal never sleeps"
Helsinki (31.08.2009 - Juhani Artto) The headline is taken from
a recent column* written by Jyrki Raina, the Finn who in May was elected
as the new General Secretary of the International Metalworkers' Federation. In the column
he refers to the struggles which the IMF has recently been involved in, from Thailand to Russia
and from South Korea to Mexico. No doubt the huge organisation, embracing 25 million rank
and file members, and organised in 200 trade unions in over 100 countries, never sleeps.
Incomes agreement reached in technology industry
(21.08.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Who received the money?
Chinese cleaners have paid huge
recruitment fees
to enter the Finnish labour market
Helsinki (Risto Rumpunen - 17.08.2009) A group of Chinese cleaners and a Finnish job
recruitment company are set to battle it out in the Finnish courts. And the backdrop to
this story is that Chinese jobseekers have apparently paid huge fees to work in Finland in
low wage jobs. Some jobseekers haven't even got the jobs they were promised when they left
China for Finland. In China, job-hiring agencies explained to the hopeful Chinese seeking
employment in Finland that the lion’s share of the excessive recruitment fees they
are obliged to pay would go to Finnish companies. Meanwhile Finnish job recruitment
companies deny this and claim that they cannot take any responsibility for the actions of
Chinese companies. So who gets the money?
Professor: Position of foreign berry pickers
unconstitutional
(14.08.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Women file complaints over post-pregnancy discrimination
(13.08.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Nearly one in ten now unemployed
(21.07.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Employers reject holiday bank idea for contract workers
(20.07.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Gender-related
pay gap among salaried employees
is hundreds of euros
Helsinki (20.07.2009 - Juhani Artto) Female salaried employees earn, on
average, EUR300 per month less than male salaried employees when their job profiles, work
experience and working hours are identical. This is indicated by a new study made by the
Union of Salaried Employees TU.
The gender-related pay gap has already widened considerably before one reaches 30 years of
age. It is at its widest just before one retires when men are paid, on average, EUR1,000
per month more than women. TU's researcher Petri Palmu regards the results of the study as
reliable, as the number of replies is very substantial and as the participants in the
study, by their profiles, is well representative of the membership.
New start for SAK union talks on amalgamation
or closer cooperation
Helsinki (12.07.2009 – Juhani Artto)
The withdrawal of the Metalworkers’ Union from the amalgamation project
which had been launched by a number of industrial unions has not killed efforts to
consolidate the union structure within the union confederation SAK. The
participants of the failed project have expressed their willingness to consider other
kinds of solutions. Some unofficial discussions have already been arranged, union sources
confirm. The reasons behind the push for closer cooperation or amalgamation are clear.
Union leaders and activists share the belief that consolidation of the union structure is
necessary to strengthen the bargaining power of the organised labour.
SAK and its
unions seek to raise minimum wage to EUR1,500
Helsinki (07.07.2009 - Juhani Artto) In Finland there is no minimum wage
legislation. Instead, in most sectors of working life, national collective agreements
determine what the lowest level of wages should be.
Recently, Yle News (published by the Finnish Broadcasting Company) said that the union
confederation SAK and its affiliated unions will strive to raise, in the next round of
collective bargaining, all minimum wage levels to at least EUR 1,500 per month. This new
demand concerns all those working regular working hours as full-time employees.
Realisation of the demand would not radically change wages and salaries but, still, it
would mean for tens or hundreds of thousands of employees a clear improvement in their
standard of living.
SAK pioneers
union work for the rights
of sexual minorities and trans people
Helsinki (01.07.2009 - Juhani Artto) How to relate to lesbians, gays,
bisexuals and trans people? Phrased liked that it sounds like a Hamlet-like dilemma but as
far as the Finnish trade union movement is concerned the question is no longer a taboo
one. That became obvious on Thursday 25 June when, SAK, the largest union confederation in
Finland, announced its full and strenuous support for the rights of all LGBT people. This
watershed event took place at a crowded seminar in a classy downtown hotel in Helsinki
where SAK published a position paper on LGBT questions.
Unemployment rate in May 2.1 percentage points higher
than one year previously
(23.06.2009 - link to the web site of the Statistics Finland)
Union provides information to foreign berry pickers in seven languages
Helsinki (18.06.2009 / edited 22.06.2009 -
Juhani Artto) Thousands of foreign berry pickers will arrive in Finland once again this
year. The Wood and Allied Workers' Union welcomes them by making available
basic information on labour agreements and on legislation that defines working conditions,
applicable in Finland. The information is offered in the two domestic languages Finnish
and Swedish, and also in English, German, Estonian, Polish and Russian. Links to the
various language versions are available, at the union's web site, on the page www.puuliitto.fi/index.php?&id=1165.
- Read also: Thousands
of foreigners come to Finland to work as berry pickers (27.05.2008)
Paperiliitto elects leaders, prepares
for hard talks
in Finnish pulp, paper sector
(15.06.2009 - link to the web site of ICEM)
Minority decides:
Metalworkers’ Union withdraws
from grand union amalgamation
Helsinki (03.06.2009 / edited 04.06.2009
– Juhani Artto) On Wednesday, the whole amalgamation project of several industrial
unions faced a major setback. A clear majority of the Metalworkers’ Union Congress
delegates were in favour of the merger but a minority of the delegates prevented this from
happeninig. It was possible as, according to its rules, the Metalworkers' Union cannot be
dissolved and its assets transferred into another organisation, in case more than a
quarter of the Congress delegates are against such decisions. In the decisive voting the
minority had about 37 per cent of the votes.
Trade union wants work-based healthcare for all workers
(03.06.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
SAK and JHL
leaders want to forge closer cooperation
with people in precarious jobs
Helsinki (01.06.2009 - Juhani Artto) Critics are right when claming that the
trade union movement has concentrated too much of its energy in promoting permanent,
full-time jobs and in the regulation of the use of temporary and other precarious work.
This is what Tuire Santamäki-Vuori, the President of JHL, the largest trade union in Finland,
said in mid-May, in her opening speech at the SAK General Council meeting. On May 25, a similar opening was made by Lauri Lyly, the
new President of SAK, with its 1.1 million rank and file members the largest union
confederation in Finland. "Changes in working life and new ways of working have
brought insecurity to working life. Therefore, as part of our programme and trade union
activity, we have to focus far greater attention on the problems encountered by people in
precarious jobs."
Teleoperator
DNA exploits its young employees
TU (01.06.2009) Teleoperator DNA abuses its agency-hired labour. The Union of Salaried
Employees TU has found outrageous violations of the hourly work and annual leave
legislation and the collective agreement.
"The hourly wage
varies from EUR6 to EUR9. It means that even among those who work full-time it is rare to
earn from EUR900 to EUR 1,400 per month", says Arto Heikkilä, who is responsible for the ICT
industry at TU.
Personnel are not paid allowances as they should be or compensated for overtime and
employees do not enjoy mandatory breaks. Employees may be obliged to work two consecutive
shifts, without prior notice, and still be paid for only one shift.
Jyrki Raina, IMF's new General Secretary, works for unity
Helsinki (27.05.2009 - Juhani Artto) "Our unity is the
base of our force", Jyrki Raina said on Monday, in Gothenburg, after having been
elected as the new General Secretary of the International Metalworkers' Federation IMF.
The same starting point characterises his writings referred to, in the course of years, by
Trade Union News from Finland. He has also strongly promoted the international dimension
of the trade union movement. In late 1980's, Raina began his trade union career, as a
lawyer, in the Finnish Chemical Workers' Union.
Finnish ruling parties agree on all-year Sunday
training -Yle
(22.05.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Sanoma
News still claims all rights
without any additional compensation
Helsinki (22.05.2009 - Juhani Artto) Sanoma News, part of the
Sanoma Group sent a new agreement to its freelancers on May 19. Following heavy criticism
towards the agreement it sent to freelancers in April, the company has changed its
position on three matters and demands that freelancers sign the new agreement by 15 June.
These changes are positive steps in the right direction but do not touch the most serious
problems of the April agreement, says Petri Savolainen, the ombudsman of
the Union of Journalists in Finland. - Read also: About 350 protestors call on Sanoma
News to negotiate its freelance agreement (13.05.2009)
Lauri Lyly to lead the SAK
(14.05.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News) - Read also
what Lauri Lyly said in his 2001 interview in Trade Union News from Finland. Then he
was the President of the Electrical Workers' Union. - An
exception in SAK: The electrical workers' union organises employees both on a trade and an
industry base (05.03.2001)
Many Finnish
employees facing pay cuts
(14.05.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
About
350 protestors call on Sanoma News
to negotiate its freelance agreement
Helsinki (13.05.2009 - Juhani Artto) On Wednesday, about 350
freelancers and their supporters participated in a rally outside Sanomatalo, the main
building of the Finnish-based multinational media company Sanoma. The protesters called on
Sanoma News, part of the Sanoma Group, to sit down and negotiate –as opposed to the
dictatorial stance it has chosen to take- its freelance agreement. In April Sanoma News
informed all freelance journalists, photographers and illustrators who do work for its
publications that the company will adopt a new freelance agreement which would
significantly affect the working conditions of freelancers for the worse.
Immigrants earn slightly less than
Finns
Helsinki (11.05.2009 - Juhani Artto) In 2007, foreign citizens earned on average, 5.8 per
cent less than Finnish citizens in the Finnish labour market. Finns made, on average,
EUR2,737 per month, and foreigners EUR2,579. About half of the 5.8 per cent pay gap is
explained by differences in the job structures of Finns and foreigners. The remaining half
may indicate unfair treatment of foreigners and/or foreigners being forced to have
"lower" jobs than their educational background would allow.
Technology industry wage talks
mover to autumn
(08.05.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Merger
of industrial unions to be postponed for a year
Helsinki (07.05.2009 - Juhani Artto) The merger or amalgamation
of several industrial unions will now take place on 1 January 2011, a year later than
planned. The decision, reached unanimously, was made on Tuesday by the project management,
which is made up of representatives from the unions involved in the amalgamation. The
extra year for merger preparations is needed to safeguard that the new union will be fully
operational at the outset. In recent months, the original timetable for the merger began
to look too tight, as the deep recession has caused a significant increase in the workload
of union personnel and the unemployment funds.
Firms push older employees into early retirement
(04.05.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Finns consider union membership
important
(03.05.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
From March
2008 to March 2009:
Unemployment clearly up among men,
slightly up among women
(28.04.2009) At the end of March 2009 the number of unemployed jobseekers
totalled 251,400, up 51,700 on the previous year. Of unemployed jobseekers, 154,400 were
men and 97,000 women. Compared with March a year ago, unemployment among men increased by
44,900 and among women by 6,700. - Source: Employment
bulletin of the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy, March 2009 - Read
also: Unemployment began to rise in
December (20.01.2009)
TU: Stora Enso is killing itself with oversized savings
TU (28.04.2009) The Union of Salaried Employees TU regards Stora
Enso's announcement that it is to make 2,000 supervisors and salaried employees redundant
as a clear indication of the company's old-fashioned management. "The staff reduction
hurricane goes on. CEO Jouko Karvinen and other managers have lost their grip on the
company's development", was Jukka Hämäläinen’s, the director of TU's forest
industry sector, reaction to the latest bombshell. He refers to Karvinen's Thursday
morning statement: "speed separates the winners from the losers".
Educated
women often out of work to care for children
(26.04.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
The work-family interface is not only
about the length of working time
(20.04.2009) A recent PhD study of Mia
Tammelin (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) investigated the working time practices of
dual-earning families in Finland between years 1977 - 2003. The study also looked at the
experiences on the work-family interface and the strategies that families use in
organizing everyday life. The study concentrated on dual-earning couples, which are
typical in Finland but of which there is only little research information.
Largest Finnish-based
industrial companies shrink at home,
employ more people outside Finland
Helsinki (17.04.2009 / edited 20.04.2009 - Juhani Artto) This
year, the sixteen largest Finnish-based industrial companies have, in total, approximately
106,000 employees in Finland - a quarter less than in 2000. In the same period the
companies have almost doubled their personnel abroad. A similar trend affects the whole
industrial sector, but at a slower space. According to the Confederation of Finnish
Industries EK Finnish-based companies of the sector employed 442,000 people in Finland
last year and 360,000 outside of the country.
A focused welder in his element
(16.04.2009 - link to the web site of Ahjo, the magazine of the
Metalworkers' Union - photo by Petri Puromies) You have to be
precise, sensitive and knowledgeable in this job. I like the fact that I have my own space
and the boss is not constantly looking over my shoulder, says Manolo Baez.
His friendly Caribbean smile has melted some ice in Finland ...
.. and earned him a royal title among his workmates:
The sunny prince who knows how to weld. “I noticed how well the welders were treated
during my work placement. Only professionals can do this kind of work,” he explains.
Baez has been working full-time for Loglift Jonsered since 2000 but still gets excited
about his work. “When you learn how to do this work, you grow to love it and get
motivated by it. You need to be a something of an artist. Precise, refined and sensitive,
a bit like when you are stroking your wife.”
Growth in wages and salaries sum slowed down to 3.1
per cent
in December to February
(14.04.2009 - link to the web site of Statistics Finland)
Thinktank
says Finland needs 10,000 immigrants a year
(14.04.2009 - link to the web site of NewsRoom Finland)
Finnish
graphics industry needs to focus
on high value-added production
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.
Industry
employers reject negotiations
on a stabilising labour market solution
Helsinki (30.03.2009 - TU:n verkkouutiset / Jaana Pohja) Industry employers are not
willing to negotiate on a stabilising solution to the labour market. That became evident
on Friday in a meeting between representatives of industry's employer organisations and
the Council of Industrial Unions TP. The employers' rejection of the proposal to negotiate
on a three-year stabilising solution was so patently clear that now unions are ready to
begin preparations for an industry-specific bargaining round, says Antti Rinne, the
President of the TP.
Nokia stops using subcontractors in mobile phone manufacture
(26.03.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
"Rude personnel policy" made salaried employees angry:
Walkout
by staff of TeliaSonera's broadband services
TU (18.03.2009) The staff of TeliaSonera Finland's broadband services walked out from their work places at
noon on Tuesday. The move closed down all broadband units of TeliaSonera Finland and
caused serious disruptions to services around the country. The protest is due to go on
until Thursday. Almost 3,000 employees of TeliaSonera Finland have voluntarily opted to
participate in support strikes. The participants oppose the results of the mandatory joint
consultation that ended last week and "the rude personnel policy of the company".
A top Finnish expert:
Let us not allow the 20th century
asbestos catastrophe
to be followed by a nano catastrophe
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. According to an article by Tuure Hurme, also from the
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, only one per cent of the research resources on
nanotechnology are directed towards risk assessments. The greatest risks concern employees
at the production and scrapping stages, where there are already millions of people
employed, Hurme writes.
Strike threat pushes Finnair
to compromise
TU (10.03.2009) Late on Monday afternoon Finnair and
the Union of Salaried Employees TU were able to arrive at a compromise in their dispute.
The compromise means that the strike of 700 technical salaried employees, due to begin on
Tuesday morning, has now been cancelled.
In the negotiations, Finnair backed down on its plan to change the status of 11 salaried
employees, which would have made them senior salaried employees. According to the TU,
Finnair did not plan to change the tasks of these employees but only their status with the
loss of certain allowances.
One in four in construction workers facing unemployment
(09.03.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Quality of municipal work
places has developed positively
Helsinki (09.03.2009 - Juhani Artto) The latest results
from the ambitious research project on the quality of municipal work places indicate
continued positive development. Thus the encouraging trend, observed in previous studies,
has prevailed. The study covers all personnel from ten municipalities, including four out
of five of the largest cities in Finland.
According to the new results employees are better able to influence (than they had been in the past) the length of the
working day, and its starting and ending times, as well as the shift schedules. This trend
has prevailed since the study made in 2000. Simultaneously the time pressure factor and
demands of work have decreased, compared with the 2006 study.
Finnish unions summon shop stewards over retirement age row
(05.03.2009 - link to the web site of NewsRoom Finland)
Major unions pull out of government's social reform committee
(02.03.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Organised labour
angered by government decision
on old-age pensions
(26.02.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Finnish
government wants to raise retirement age to 65
(25.02.2009 - link to the web site of NewsRoom Finland)
TU:
"Need for sick leave is
determined by a doctor - not the employer"
TU (23.02.2009) Else-Mai Kirvesniemi, the head of the legal unit at the Union of
Salaried Employees TU reiterates that an employee’s ability with regard to work is
judged in terms of the tasks defined in the employment contract. An employee is not
obliged to take on other tasks, she insists.
The comment is a reaction to the recent claims of Kari Kaukinen, the leading doctor of the
Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. He stated publicly that an employer has the right
in principle to ask an employee to return to work if the employer considers the employee
fit to work. Kirvesniemi is amazed by Kaukinen's interpretation. She emphasises that,
according to the legislation, the need for sick leave is determined by a medical doctor -
not the employer.
Decisive ballots give green light
to merger of industrial unions
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. Following
these two decisive ballots there are not any major obstacles that could derail the planned
merger. Finland’s largest union is due to begin its work officially on 1 January
2010.
Finnish trade unions
would prefer shortened working hours
to lay-offs
(20.02.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
More interest for the merger proposal
between Finnish and Estonian unions
Helsinki (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.
Record numbers headed for early retirement
(16.02.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
TU: To close down the R & D unit in
Jyväskylä
would be a strategic mistake by Nokia
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.
Researchers forecast:
Finnish economy headed for a deep
recession
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. According to LIER's forecast, published on 3 February, the GDP will
shrink by 3.7 per cent this year and by slightly less than one per cent in 2010. This year
unemployment will climb to 7.4 per cent and the next year to 8.8 per cent. Employment will
weaken in the two years by 100,000 persons, LIER forecasts. - Read LIER's whole economic
forecast 2009-2010: Finnish economy headed for a deep recession (15 page pdf file)
Temporary lay-offs
unique Finnish labour policy contrivance
(10.02.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
Staff members of the forest industry EWCs:
Prime Minister Vanhanen tries to
walk over people in EU matters
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.
Council of Industrial Unions TP works
for a stabilising labour market agreement
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.
Labour
institute predicts deep recession
(03.02.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Metal and chemical workers vote on the
amalgamation proposal
to merge six industrial unions
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.
Labour market parties agreed
on a comprehensive social policy package
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.
1000s
of foreign workers leave depressed construction sector
(25.01.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Report calls
for nearly 5-year increase in retirement age
(23.01.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Agreement reported on
removing
employers' national pension contribution
(22.01.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
Unemployment began to rise in December
Helsinki (20.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) In December the unemployment rate rose to 6.1 per
cent, slightly above the rate registered for December 2007. This year the figure may rise
to between 7.5 and 8.0 per cent, Minister of Labour Tarja Cronberg predicts. - Read
also:
Over 10,000 notices of temporary layoffs in over a week
(13.01.2009 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Finnish government
to pay undisclosed sum
to Italian hydraulic car lift manufacturer
(13.01.2009 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
The number of laid-off
employees tripled in November
Helsinki (06.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) At the of November 2008, the number of laid-off
employees totalled 12,500, which was three times more than a month earlier. Total number
of registered unemployed jobseekers was 201,200. Of them 40,100 had been unemployed
without interruption for more than a year. The number had reduced by 7,300 from November
2007. The number of foreign citizens among the unemployed jobseekers totalled 12,100, up
500 from November 2007. A fifth of these foreign unemployed jobseekers were citizens of EU
Member States or countries belonging to the European Economic Area. - Read more: Employment bulletin of the
Finnish Ministry of Employment and Economy, November 2008
Companies
lax on investigating abuses by subcontractors
(05.01.2009 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Two years after the paper
mill closure in Voikkaa:
A quarter of the former employees
still unemployed
Helsinki (31.12.2008 – Juhani Artto) A
quarter of the former employees of the Voikkaa paper mill, closed two years ago, were
still recently unemployed. The factory was owned by UPM, the multinational forest industry
company based in Finland. Despite the high unemployment of the former employees a study by
the University of Tampere sociology professor Harri Melin concludes that “the
greatest fears did not happen”.
Recession to
spread into Helsinki only gradually and via services
(23.12.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Integration training
fails to significantly improve
employment prospects of refugees
(22.12.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Finns don't long for Estonians to their labour market
(19.12.2008 - link to
the web site of bbn)
Finnish
unions relieved at rejection of EU working hour directive
(18.12.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Labour organisations list demands for stimulus package
(08.12.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Industrial trade unions to coordinate their goals
and action measures
Helsinki (08.12.2008 - Juhani Artto) In the next round of
collective bargaining the 13 members of the Finnish Council of Industrial Trade Unions
intend to strengthen and tighten up their mutual cooperation. A week ago the Council
decided to approve common goals and coordinate their actions more closely and in a more
systematic fashion during the bargaining process. "The unions aim to agree, with the
employers, on issues that stabilise the economy and the labour market", the Council
says. The decision of the Council reflects the new situation in the labour market, brought
about by the new policy adopted by the main central organisation for employers, the
Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. The latter no longer supports the model of
comprehensive income policy agreements that had been the prevailing, and successful, model
applied since the late 1960s.
Finns to go on with their emergency assistance
to Zimbabwe's trade unions
Helsinki (08.12.2008 - Juhani Artto) The Finnish trade union movement has been providing
emergency assistance to the trade union movement in Zimbabwe since 2003. The programme
will go on for the year to come and is planned to continue into 2010-2011. The assistance
is for the purpose of defending and restoring human and labour rights in Zimbabwe and to
keep intact communication channels of the Zimbabwean trade union organisations. The
programme finances legal aid for union activists and supports the maintenance of branch
offices of the national union organisations. - Appeal campaign: A week
ago SASK joined the new international appeal campaign Stop the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe!
Concerned citizens may send, from SASK's web site www.sask.fi/vetoomukset/zimbabwe, the appeal
letter to Mr. Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, and to Mr. Gideon Gono, the
Governor of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Labour
from Hanoi to Ostrobotnia in Finland
(06.12.2008 - link to
the web site of Viet Nam News) "There is a Vietnamese community of over 5,000 in Finland who are
perhaps the best integrated foreign community in Finland. This is a good basis to build
upon labour-based migration. And this is indeed the core idea; no short-term labour
contracts with suspicious conditions, but long-term migration where workers’ rights
are respected. We are right at the beginning of this process and we need to establish good
practices on how to proceed. The southern Ostrobothnia region in Finland has very
successfully set up labour co-operation for instance with the city of Ha Noi. We have to
create win-win solutions where the supply meets the demand in a sustainable way.
" (Pekka Hyvönen, Finland's Ambassador to Viet Nam)
Finland should focus stimuli on construction -Economists
(05.12.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
FAQs on the European economic
recovery plan
by European Commission
(01.12.2008 - link to
the web site of eGov monitor)
Four STTK unions initiate
merger talks
Helsinki (01.12.2008) The boards
of four private sector unions, all affiliated members of the Finnish Confederation of
Professionals STTK, set in motion preparations for a possible amalgamation, over the
weekend. They have now decided to examine the pros and cons of a merger between the four
organisations. The unions are the Trade Union Suora (finance and insurance sectors), the
Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees ERTO, the Union of Salaried Employees
TU and MDU, a union which is comprised of supervisors and technical professionals in the
graphics industry. The four unions have together over 180 000 rank and file members,
working in the industrial and service sectors.
Unions wonder why Sanoma declines
to negotiate and agree on an EWC
Helsinki (28.11.2008 - Juhani Artto) Finnish unions
that represent employees working for the Finnish-based media company, Sanoma (formerly
SanomaWSOY) are perplexed by the company's negative attitude towards signing up to a
European Works Council (EWC). Sanoma is the largest media company in Finland and one of
the biggest magazine publishers in Europe. It operates in 20 countries in Europe and has
over 20 000 employees, the majority of whom work outside Finland. Clearly, then, Sanoma is
one of about 1 500 companies that should - if the EWC directive were to be respected and
implemented properly – agree, in tandem with its personnel, on the setting up of an
EWC. The Finnish unions have appealed to the company on numerous occasions to open talks
with a view to establishing a works council but with no success.
Nokia Siemens Network remains silent about the
reasons
for its cuts in personnel and the closure of a production unit
TU (28.11.2008) Corporate-level mandatory
consultation at Nokia Siemens Network which began on Monday November 24 got off to a bad
start. Despite repeated requests by shop stewards, the Nokia owned NSN has not been
forthcoming with any information as to why it is cutting jobs and closing the production
unit at Karalahti in Espoo. According to shop stewards the company is deliberately
refusing to provide data to which shop stewards and representatives of personnel at
corporate-level mandatory consultation have the right.
Union leader calls for
employment fund
(22.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Labour
unions in the context of the EU policies:
single market & social guarantees
(22.11.2008 - link to
the web site of the Baltic Course)
Unions call on Nokia Siemens
Network to cancel
redundancies and closures
TU (18.11.2008) The unions representing employees at Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) are
shocked by the large-scale redundancies announced by the company. Especially
incomprehensible is the closure of NSN’s profitable production unit in Espoo, say the
three unions involved- the Metalworkers' Union, the Union of Salaried Employees (TU) and
the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN).
Unions: Thousands of
workers could face the axe
(17.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Income
disparities growing faster in Finland
than any other OECD country
(13.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Finland moves one step
closer Sunday shopping
(13.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Council of Industrial Unions
aims at higher purchasing power
and tightens coordination of policies between member unions
Helsinki (10.11.2008 - Juhani Artto) In the next round of collective
bargaining the purchasing power, in real terms, of wage and salary earners has to be
safeguarded, the Council of Finnish Industrial Unions TP outlined on November 6. It must
be reached by an entirety of pay rises and changes in taxes and various fees. As a
counterweight to globalisation job safety has to be improved so that it becomes more
proactive than it is today. Employees must have the right to continuously develop their
skills and, when needed, also the right to study to enable them to take up a new vocation.
To this end employers will have to shoulder a significantly larger responsibility than
they do now.
UPM rejects unions’
proposals
TU / Paper Workers' Union (10.11.2008) The Union of
Salaried Employees TU and the Paper Workers' Union criticise the forest industry giant UPM
for its behaviour during the corporate-level mandatory consultation that led to the
closure of the Tervasaari pulp mill in Valkeakoski and the Kajaani paper mill. From the
very beginning of the consultation talks it was clear that the company was not willing to
consider any options to the closure of the two mills, Jouko Ahonen, the President of Paper
workers' Union, and Antti Rinne, the President of the TU, claim.
Over 50,000 people on disability
pension because of alcohol
Helsinki (10.11.2008 - Juhani Artto) In 2005, in Finland, there were
slightly over 50,000 people on disability pension, due to alcohol-related brain disorders
or disturbing behaviour. Almost a fifth of all disability pensioners belonged to this
group. The amount of these alcohol-related disability pensioners has increased by 40 per
cent in only five years.
Experts estimate that the cost to society from these over 50,000 disability pensioners is
in the region of EUR700-900 million, annually, in the form of premature pensions and
increased social and health costs. The indirect costs add several billion euros to the
bill, even if the "price" of human suffering is ignored.
Immigrants' skills too often unused
(10.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
EP's Committee adopts labour-friendly position
in working time directive
Helsinki (07.11.2008 - Juhani Artto) The European Parliament Committee on
Employment and Social Affairs has adopted labour-friendly positions in the Working Time
Directive on November 5. John Monks, the General Secretary of the European Trade Union
Confederation (ETUC) calls the outcome of the Committee's meeting an important victory. The Parliament will vote
on the controversial issue on 16 December. And on the same day the ETUC plans to organise
a rally in front of the Parliament building in Strasburg under the banner "Social Europe and working
hours".
Click to the story
where Anna-Lena Börgö Etaat from Nordic IN outlines the major controversies around the
working time directive. Nordic IN is a federation of 22 affiliated unions in Sweden, Denmark,
Finland, Norway and Iceland. The unions represent 1.2 million workers and salaried
employees in the metal, energy, chemical, plastic, paper and mining industries. -
Anna-Lena: Börgö Etaat: Limiting the maximum working week to 48 hours, 05.11.2008
More workers fighting fixed-term contracts
(02.11.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Research
institutes predict stagnation of economic growth next year
(30.10.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Becoming unemployed surest way to fall into poverty
(20.10.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Unemployment threatens
thousands of construction workers
Helsinki (16.10.2008 - Juhani Artto) Matti Harjuniemi,
the president of the Construction Trade Union, predicts that in the next few months the
unemployment of construction workers is set to rise very significantly. Last winter, in
the worst months, the Unemployment Fund registered from 8,000 to 9,000 unemployed
construction workers. Harjuniemi warns that this coming winter the number of unemployed
construction workers may double the amount registered last
winter. - Read also: Estonian builders will be sent home from Finland, bbn 13.10.2008
Employment of aged labour has shown a
marked increase
Helsinki (16.10.2008 - Juhani Artto) Last year 57.1 per
cent of Finns in the 55 to 64 year age bracket were gainfully employed. Perhaps, more
importantly is the fact that the employment rate of this age group, in Finland, has risen
more rapidly than in any other EU-15 country. In 1997 the rate was 35.6 per cent. In 2006
the employment rate of this old-age labour was higher than in Finland (54.5 per cent) only
in Sweden (69.6), Denmark (60.7) and the United Kingdom (57.4). Ireland (53.1) was the
fifth country where the rate exceeded 50.0 per cent, the official minimum goal of the
European Union. At the bottom were Belgium (32.0) and Italy (32.5). Also the rates of
Luxemburg (33.2), Austria (35.5) and France (37.6) were below the 40.0 per cent. The
average rate of the EU-15 was 45.3 per cent.
The Council of Industrial Trade Unions in Finland:
Decent work and global
framework agreements, around the world, would be an asset for Finnish companies
TP (07.10.2008) On 7 October, the World Day for Decent Work, the Council of Industrial
Trade Unions in Finland proposes that all Finnish-based multinationals, in tandem with
respective trade union organisations, embark on a process with the aim of negotiating
global framework agreements. Henceforth, Finnish-based multinationals could genuinely
profile themselves as socially responsible actors and place themselves in a different
moral category from companies that are blacklisted because of their socially irresponsible
behaviour.
Finnish labour market still popular among Estonians
(29.09.2008 - link to
the web site of bbn)
TU pours more resources into safeguarding interests
at work places and regions
TU (29.09.2008 - Juhani Artto) The Union of Salaried
Employees TU is soon to provide its organisation with significantly more resources in an
effort to safeguard the interests of rank and file members. The union will employ over 20
new employees at its various regional offices. The reform is part of the organisational
changes that are due to be implemented by the end of this year. In the future two thirds
of its personnel will be committed to safeguarding interests, whereas at present half that
number is thus engaged.
Negotiations at Kemira:
A new education fund to be set up*
Helsinki (24.09.2008) The parties involved in Kemira's
corporate-level mandatory joint consultation group reached an agreement on Monday on the
support package to be made available to employees who lose their jobs. At present, the
parties are negotiating at local level about redundancies. These negotiations will still
continue for another week.
Details of the support package will not be published, but some central
elements of the package are as follows: Redundancy payments are bound to the length of the
employment and the pension solutions considerably exceed the mandatory level. In addition,
the package includes incentives that make it easier to move to another locality and a
separate bonus for those employees who have to work during their period of notice. In
principle, the most significant part of the package is a new education
fund. Kemira will make a remarkable investment towards the fund.
Finland leads Europe in workplace bullying
(22.09.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Food companies deny slavery claims
(18.09.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Finnair's
personnel says strictly NO to pay cuts
TU (18.09.2008) On Tuesday 16 September, all personnel groups unanimously rejected
Finnair's proposals to cut wages and salaries or freeze previously agreed pay rises. Over
the past few years Finnair has already axed 700 jobs. In the summer, when the previous
mandatory joint consultation had been finalised, the employer began a new round of
consultation aiming to cut a further 500 jobs. Now, with the consultation on that demand
still ongoing, the company is proposing pay cuts, as a new measure to make savings.
According to Mauri Haapanen, the chairman of the technical employees' association, says
that the personnel does not see any sound reasons for such drastic remedies in the current
Finnair situation.
Europe-wide action to put pressure on
Kemira is imminent
TU (17.09.2008) Europe-wide action
by Kemira’s employees, to put pressure on the chemical company, has come one step
closer. On Tuesday 16 September, it was the conclusion of the employees who represent the
personnel at corporate-level mandatory joint consultation group. They announced the
conclusion they had come to following the group’s meeting. According to the shop
stewards of the wage and salaried employees the employer has driven negotiations to
stalemate. The shop stewards consider the redundancy payment, offered by the company, as
still too low.
SAK's expert:
Finland lures labour from abroad
under false pretences
Helsinki (15.09.2008 - Juhani Artto) The government of prime minister Matti
Vanhanen has made it easier for foreign labour to enter the Finnish labour market.
Simultaneously, several enterprises, from both the industrial and the service sectors,
have begun to recruit labour from abroad. In a recent article, Pia Björkbacka, a business
policy expert at the union confederation SAK, criticises both the government and private
business enterprises for their policy on migrant labour. One fifth of the migrants who
have already moved to Finland are unemployed, Björkbacka reminds us. "Thus, the policy on
migration should concentrate on improving the employment of foreigners already living in
Finland", she
emphasises.
Protests postponed till 24-25 September:
Progress in negotiations on
Kemira's support package
Helsinki (13.09.2008 - Juhani Artto) One month ago Kemira, the Finnish
multinational, which specialises in water and fibre management chemistry, announced its
plan to cut about 300 jobs in Finland. Up until Friday 12 September negotiations
concerning Kemira's
support package for employees who may loose their jobs had been proceeding quite slowly.
To speed up the negotiations Kemira's European Forum (EWC) decided on Thursday 11 September to
organise protests in Finland and several other countries. At the meeting there were
participants from Finland, Sweden, Poland, Germany and Holland. On Friday 12 September
negotiations began to gather pace.
TU’s Rinne:
Black day for the forest industry
forces all parties to take responsibility
TU (10.09.2008 / updated 10.09.2009) Antti Rinne, the
President of the Union of Salaried Employees (TU), has come out strongly in his demand for
Stora Enso, UPM and the government to underline their support for the over 2,100 employees
whose jobs are now threatened. He insists that the government should redouble its efforts
to prevent new job cuts in the forest industry. "This is a black day for the Finnish forest
industry. It forces UPM andStora Enso to take responsibility for their personnel. The
grounds for these planned closures have to be analysed carefully. If studies prove that
job cuts can be avoided then jobs must be preserved, Rinne says, following announcements
by the forest industry giants that they are about to abolish thousands of jobs in Imatra,
Kajaani, Kemi, Valkeakoski and Varkaus."
New compromises level off the path
towards
the amalgamation of six industrial unions
Helsinki (08.09.2008 - Juhani Artto) The work to
amalgamate six industrial unions continues. On September 1 representatives of the six
unions managed to agree on compromises concerning disagreements, which before the summer
vacation period threatened to derail the whole project, known as TEAM. Shortly, six
working groups will continue the preparatory work. The draft rules for the new
organisation are already in the hands of the project leadership. The goal remains the same
- to make the new union ready to start business by 1 January 2010. The final decisions on
the amalgamation are due to be made in May and June 2009 at the congresses of the unions
concerned.
Finland urged to become
more immigration-friendly
(05.09.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Estonian
and Finnish seamen trade unions open for collaboration
(01.09.2008 - link to
the web site of The Baltic Course)
Young women's position on
job market has worsened
(30.08.2008 - link to
the web site of Yle News)
Finnish labour productivity in forest-based industry
highest in Europe
(29.08.2008 - link to
the web site of Helsinki Times)
Finnish
union treatens strike at Olkiluoto nuclear site
(26.08.2008 - link to
the web site of AFP/EasyBourse)
Finnish technology industry now has
more employees abroad than in Finland
Helsinki (26.08.2008 - Juhani Artto) This year the Finnish technology
industry employs for the first time more people outside of Finland than in Finland. In ten
years the number of employees in Finland has grown from 220,000 to 275,000 but abroad the
personnel of the Finnish technology companies has expanded from 110,000 to 280,000. The
more rapid expansion outside of Finland is mainly due to a combination of two factors:
cost of production and vicinity of markets.
"We
conclude that employer discrimination is an important explanation of the obesity gap in
female unemployment"
(18.08.2008 - link to Juho Härkönen's
study Labour force dynamics and the obesity gap in female unemployment in Finland)
Finnish Olympic news:
Top athletes withdraw their
signatures
and a filmmaker denied entry to China
SASK (11.08.2008 - Juhani Artto) On the Eve of the
Olympic Games, the publication of a petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao, signed by
some 130 international athletes, created much interest in Finland. And for obvious
reasons: among the signatories was Tero Pitkämäki, the javelin thrower who belongs to
the few Finnish gold medal candidates.
In the petition, the athletes ask Hu to work towards a peaceful resolution on the issue of
Tibet and other conflicts in China, based on respect for the fundamental principles of
human rights. They also press Hu to allow freedom of expression, freedom of religion and
freedom of opinion in China, including Tibet.
Over EUR1,500 per
month, in the municipal sector,
for recent old-age pensioners
Helsinki (08.08.2008 - Juhani Artto) Last year 5,365 municipal employees
joined the ranks of old-age pensioners. On average their pension was about EUR1,540 per
month. It was 5.3 per cent more than the corresponding figure in 2006. Of the large
vocational groups medical doctors received, on average, overwhelmingly the highest
pensions at EUR4,100 per month. Cleaners and kitchen and hospital assistants were to be
found at the other end of the list. Average pensions for these vocational groups varied
form EUR963 per month to EUR1,055 per month.
Vietnam
sends over 50,000 people to work abroad in 7 months
(07.08.2008 - link to web site of People's
Daily Online) - Click also to:
First
Vietnamese workers sent to Finland under labour contract
(02.08.2008 - link to
the web site of the VietnamNet)
Hundreds of Kemira's salaried
employees in Finland
may lose their jobs
Helsinki (06.08.2008 - Juhani Artto) Kemira, focusing
on water and fibre management chemistry, announced on Monday a global savings program to
improve its profitability. Cost-reduction measures will include improvements to the
group's structure, organization and current operating models. The restructuring and
savings program may involve a net reduction of up to 300 jobs in Finland, Kemira says.
According to the Union of Salaried Employees, almost 270 of them concern salaried
employees. Antti Rinne, the President of the TU, criticises the plan for targeting a
significant provision of the cuts in Finland. According to the union, Kemira may transfer
parts of its research activities from Finland to other countries.
SAK's Huutola would join Finnish, Estonian trade unions
(06.08.2008 - link to
the web site of the NewsRoom Finland)
Electrical Workers' Union wants to get rid
of creosote-impregnated poles
Helsinki (05.08.2007 - Juhani Artto) In Finland it is common to impregnate
wooden electricity poles with creosote. The application of creosote serves as a
preservative. The Electrical Workers' Union now insists that companies stop using
creosote-impregnated poles in favour of saver, less risky options, with a view to
safeguarding workers'
health. One of the targeted companies is Vattenfall, one of the largest electricity
generators in Europe. Recently the company has expanded the use of creosote-impregnated
electricity poles in Finland. Vattenfall is owned by the Swedish state.
First
Vietnamese workers sent to Finland under labour contract
(02.08.2008 - link to
the web site of the VietnamNet)
Almost 4,000 employees lost their jobs in January-June 2008
Helsinki (26.07.2008 – Juhani
Artto) In January-June 2008 more employees were given notice than in January-June 2007.
According to SAK 3,751 wage and salary earners lost their jobs in the first half of this
year. A year earlier the amount climbed to 3,416. In the first half of 2008 stock
companies gave notice to 1,880 employees, whereas the corresponding figure last year was
2,642. In January-June 2008 Stora Enso gave notice to 985 employees.
Gender pay gap remained
unchanged in Finnish industrial sector
Helsinki (26.07.2007 - Juhani Artto) In the fourth quarter
2007 the average wages for women in Finnish industry were 85 per cent of average wages for
men. The gap was as large in the fourth quarter 2006. In the second quarter 2002 the
corresponding figure was 80 per cent.
Shorter work week appeals to many
(18.07.2008 - link to the
web site of the YLE News)
Summer
workers ignorant of labour rights
(15.07.2008 - link to the
web site of the YLE News)
Finland's new gender equality plan will advance women's rights,
prevent domestic violence, reduce gender pay gap, women's anti-discrimination committee
told
(10.07.2008 - link to the
web site of the 7thSpace)
Finland's economy is thriving, but don't smile yet
(07.07.2008 - link to
the web site of the Tribuna Economica)
Amalgamation
talks between six industrial unions
have entered a difficult stage
Helsinki (30.06.2008 - Juhani Artto) Late May brought to light
serious disagreements that may derail the project, known as TEAM, with the intended
purpose of amalgamating six industrial unions. Strong doubts about the future of
the venture have been expressed by Matti Alakoski, the President of the Electrical Workers
Union, and Timo Vallittu, the President of the ChemicalWorkers' Union. Both of them
criticise certain conditions approved by the Congress of the Metalworkers' Union.
One
out of two works while sick
Helsinki (30.06.2008 - Juhani Artto) SAK's working condition
barometer, published in May, reveals an alarming practise. Within the last 12 months one
out of two rank and file members of SAK's affiliated unions had been sick while working. A
full fifth of those interviewed had endured it once and 30 per cent more than once. The
rate of working while sick was slightly higher among women than men. The study does not
offer any explanations as to why so many had preferred to go to work instead of staying at
home.
German experts blame Nokia 's communication strategy
in Bochum case
Helsinki (25.06.2008 / updated 27.06.2008 – Juhani Artto)
German experts have been deeply critical of Nokia's communication strategy in Germany
where Nokia is set to shut down its mobile telephone plant on June 30. In Bochum 2,300
employees will loose their jobs. Nokia announced the decision on January 15. The
production is being shifted to Romania where the labour costs are a tenth of those in Germany.
The decision came as a surprise to local politicians and trade union leaders. Nokia had
not had any preparatory talks with them prior to announcing its decision. Nokia should
have pursued the usual approach taken in Germany by both local and foreign companies,
Volker Wittke of Göttingen University advised two weeks ago in Financial Times
Deutschland. When planning cuts the company has to declare publicly, that it's having
financial problems that cannot be resolved without cuts.
TU win
victory over Stora Enso in dispute over bonuses
TU (23.06.2008) The Union of Salaried Employees TU has come out on top in its dispute with
Stora Enso over bonuses. The decision was made on Thursday 19 June by the district court
of Oulu. Stora Enso has to pay out bonuses to over 90 salaried employees who had sued the
company.
Stora Enso lost the case as it had concealed from its personnel a ‘certain
condition’ concerning profit-related bonuses. According to this hidden proviso a
bonus can be withheld from a person who participates in a strike.
Chinese cleaners
paid secret commissions to work at SOL
(20.06.2008 - link to the
web site of YLE News)
Tariff barriers pull down India in global trade index
(19.06.2008 - link to the web site of Business Standard) Like
the two Asian countries (Hong Kong and Singapore), Nordic countries Sweden, Norway,
Denmark and Finland outperformed their other European counterparts in
keeping their economies open to trade.
TU approves conciliation
proposal for the paper industry
TU (17.06.2008) The threatened strike by around one
thousand salaried employees, working for Stora Enso, has been averted. The Union of
Salaried Employees TU approved on Monday, just before the noon, the proposal put forward
by the National Conciliator to secure a new collective agreement for the paper industry
salaried employees. If the conciliation had failed, the strike would have commenced on
Monday at 12, bringing out the entire salaried employee workforce of all Stora Enso's manufacturing plants in Finland. The new agreement
will be in place from 16 June 2008 to 31 March 2010. During the agreement period the cost
impact of the pay rises is set to exceed 6 per cent.
Families with
children would rather take
extra holidays than extra money
(13.06.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Employers want to
fire employees who miss work
(11.06.2008
- link to the web site of YLE News)
Ageing Finland's 'silver economy' needs you
(11.06.2008
- link to the web site of The Times of India)
TU warns of strike in the forest
industry
TU (09.06.2008) The Union of Salaried Employees TU
issued a stern warning on Monday 2 June to The Finnish Forest Industries Federation and
the National Conciliator Juhani Salonius that industrial action is now imminent. The
looming strike concerns 1,000 salaried employees working in 10 localities for Stora Enso.
The strike will begin on Monday 16 June, at noon, unless the parties agree on a collective
agreement for about 6,500 salaried employees in the paper industry. The parties met on
Thursday 5 June the National Conciliator Juhani Salonius telling him their views on the
unresolved issues. Next time Salonius hears the parties at separate meetings. TU’s
negotiators will meet him on Tuesday 10 June at 14 PM. After these separate meetings
Salonius will weigh the possibilities to go on with the conciliation.
Bargaining to bring about a
collective agreement
for the paper industry’s salaried employees comes to nought
TU (02.06.2008) Bargaining attempts aimed at reaching a
collective agreement for the paper industry’s salaried employees failed on Thursday.
The employers'
representatives opened the latest talks by announcing that they are not ready to move on
any of the unresolved matters. In addition, the employer side is still reluctant to give
any pay rise offer. The parties, representing employers and employees, have been involved
in the collective bargaining process since 11 April. TUs board and TU´'s paper industry
bargaining council will meet on Monday 2 June at 9 AM. They will analyse the situation and
take the decisions necessary. In addition to the threat of industrial action they will
consider possible support action.
Safeguard the value of collective agreements
– stop wage dumping in the telecom sector
(02.06.2008 - link to
the web site of UNI)
Foreign construction
workers' rights abused
(30.05.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
24 per cent of Estonian
leaders of enterprises
are interested in migrant labour
(29.05.2008 - link to the web site of The Baltic Course) While in 2005 the most popular potential
employees were from Russia and from Finland, this year the most popular country of origin
for foreign labour force is Ukraine. Ranking next are Russia, Europe and Finland.
Thousands
of foreigners come to Finland to work as berry pickers
Helsinki (27.05.2008 - Juhani Artto) Soon thousands of
foreigners will travel to Finland to earn some money by picking berries. Most of them come
from Russia, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine and Thailand. Last year even some Mongolians
travelled to Finland to make money by berry picking. In the last few years many effective
and hard-working foreign pickers have earned in one or two months as much as they
regularly earn in twelve months in their home countries. At the end of last season the
Finnish media published reports on smiling Thais whose work session in Finland had
succeeded well. But not all have reached the results they had expected. Two years ago the
visit of tens of Ukrainians failed badly and they had to return home without any savings
from their berry picking tour.
PAM has
close ties with Estonians
Helsinki (23.05.2008 - Juhani Artto) PAM, the union organising service
sector employees in Finland, and Etka, its sister organisation in Estonia, have begun to
step-up their already close cooperation. Etka's members – on taking up work in Finland and on
joining PAM - will
immediately get PAM's
full support even in expensive legal cases. Previously there was a six months' waiting period before an employee
on transferring his or her membership from Etka to PAM, or vice versa, had this right, PAM's Estonia coordinator Kari
Virkkula explains.
TU is one of the main
partners of the world village festival
24-25 May in Helsinki
TU (22.05.2008) At the world village festival 24-25 May in Helsinki the union of Salaried
Employees TU is one of the main sponsors. This is the first time in the 12-year history of
the festival that a trade union is among the main partners. Cooperation with the festival,
which will see a gathering of over 350 NGOs at Kaisaniemi park in Helsinki, is part of
TU's expanding and increasingly multi-faceted international work.
Construction
Trade Union’s far-reaching campaign
to promote healthy eating among workers
Helsinki (21.05.2008 - Juhani Artto) A year ago the Finnish
Construction Trade Union made a surprising and bold move. It decided to invest in a
two-year campaign to improve dietary habits of construction workers. The union employed,
as spearheads of the campaign, three young construction workers (click
to see a photo of them). Their job is to
visit construction sites and vocational schools, teaching construction skills, and to
provide valuable information on food - from what is actually in the food we eat down to
eating habits as they now exist and crucially what is healthy and what is not. Originally
the campaign was targeted at young workers and students but it soon became obvious that
older workers too are interested in the message offered by the campaigners.
Can
collective bargaining in the paper industry
overcome the final hurdle?
TU (21.05.2008) Markku Palokangas, the director of TU's industrial sector: "The
danger of the threat of industrial action grows significantly unless a solution is born
this week." Collective bargaining in the paper industry may go right down to the wire
this week. The parties have agreed on several meetings over the next few days. Bargaining
began almost a month ago. The union of salaried employees TU represents some 6,500
salaried employees in the paper industry. TU's paper industry bargaining council will meet
on Thursday.
Court
defends the right to criticise lack of proper ethical monitoring
Helsinki (27.04.2008 - Juhani Artto) Was it legal to criticise Finland's second largest department store
(Veljekset Keskinen Oy / Bros. Keskinen Ltd.) for insufficient ethical monitoring of its
product deliverers? Recently the district court of Helsinki had to deliver its verdict in
a dispute related to this question. Vesa Keskinen, the executive director and largest
owner of the department store claimed that a column written by Jukka Pääkkönen, the
information officer of the Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) had libelled
him. In addition Keskinen demanded punishment for Jaana Aaltonen, the editor-in-chief of
the magazine PRO that had published Pääkkönen's column. PRO is the magazine of the Union of Salaried
Employees TU. The court rejected both of Keskinen's demands. According to the judgement passed down a
company has to tolerate and live with even sharp public criticism of the products and
services it offers, when there is a factual basis to warrant such criticism.
To prevent
silicosis Finland tightens crystalline silica dust norms
Helsinki (26.04.2008 - Juhani Artto) The Finnish authorities and
labour
market parties have taken seriously the scientific evidence concerning the health risks
posed by crystalline silica (silicon dioxide) dust. Continuous,
long-time inhaling of high concentrations of the dust increases the risk of
falling ill with silicosis. Recently the Finnish authorities stiffened their
recommendation concerning the maximum concentration of crystalline silica dust by lowering
what they consider the acceptable level from 0.2 milligram per cubic meter to 0.05
milligram per cubic meter. However the binding maximum value was left at 0.2 milligram per
cubic meter. This compromise was negotiated and reached by representatives from the
authorities, trade unions and employers.
Hanoi, Finland boost
labour cooperation
(18.04.2008 - link to the web site of VietNamNet
Bridge)
China,
Finland vow to strengthen trade union co-op
(15.04.2008 - link to the web site of Xinhua / China
View)
Nokia itself appoints "the union leaders" at its plant in Mexico
Helsinki (09.04.2008 - Juhani Artto) The world's leading mobile telephone producer Nokia admitted on
Tuesday 8 April in Helsinki that "the union leaders" at Nokia's plant in Reynosa in Mexico are appointed by the company
itself. Thus the principle of free organising of labour, approved by Nokia in its code of
conduct, does not materialise in practise at its very own plant. The conclusion is one of
the major findings in a study, published 8 April in Helsinki. The study consists of
replies from 88 employees to a 59 -question questionnaire and observations within the
plant.
Has women's position in Finland too good a
reputation?
Helsinki (07.04.2008 - Juhani Artto) The position of women in Finland is not as
good as elsewhere it has been claimed. This is according to Eija Ailasmaa, who has just
been chosen as this year's most influential female business leader in Finland. In
her interview in Talouselämä, the leading business weekly, she adds that she never
reveals (to foreigners) this opinion of hers. "In Finland development is now even going backwards", Ailasmaa laments
critically.
Labour Minister: Don't
punish women for having children
(05.04.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Trade unions demand more training funds from EU
(04.04.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Leader of the SAK and SASK supported project:
The Columbian trade union
movement must make room for youth
SASK (03.04.2008) José Fernando Arellano Trejos is the
leader of the project ”Youth and trade unions”, ongoing in Medellin, Columbia
and supported by the Finnish union organisations SAK and SASK. Recently he replied to
questions formulated by SASK. The English language version is a short version of the
replies given in Spanish by the 32 year old Columbian. - What kind of results have
you by now achieved in the project? The Columbian trade union movement has
for the first time officially approved, as part of its agenda, youth activity. We have
begun to do it in the Antioquia and Urabá regions. People have been informed about the
rights of youth in working life. In 2007 we gave trade union training to 120 young people.
Rüffert
case: ETUC warns that ECJ's judgement
is destructive and damaging
(03.04.2008 - link to the web site of ETUC)
Nordic labour markets: Where bosses will be your friends
- A desperate plea for skilled workers who can bear to stay
(03.04.2008 - link to the web site of Economist.com)
Delegation
from Lahti examines possibilities for recruiting nurses from China - Former
Soviet republics also seen as possible source of staff in field threatened by labour
shortage
(31.03.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
Deputy PM acclaims
Finland's pilot project
to employ Vietnamese workers
(28.03.2008 - link to the web site of Trading Markets)
Estonia cautiously opens up its labour
market to foreign labour
Helsinki (27.03.2008 - Juhani Artto) Estonia's
labour market has been almost closed to labour from outside the EU, USA and Japan.
Legislation has restricted the amount of recruits, from other than these 28 countries, to
0.05 per cent of Estonia's population. This year it would have meant a maximum of less
than 700 work permits for labour coming from countries other than EU, USA and Japan. In
addition, the procedure that needs to be gone through in order to procure these work
permits has been complicated. It could take up to half a year to receive a permit.
Despite increase in work accidents:
Government cuts human resources of
OSH inspectorates
by almost a quarter
Helsinki (18.03.2008 - Juhani Artto) The
government of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen plans to significantly cut human resources
with regard to OSH inspectorates. The frame work budget for 2009-2013, approved last week
by the government, aims to reduce these resources by almost a quarter. "The decision
made by the government does not respond to real needs of today's working life", is
the critical reaction of Lauri Lyly, the director of the union confederation SAK, to the
change. "The number of accidents at work has increased, the grey economy is
widespread and the ever increasing mobility of the labour force demands more monitoring
capacity for OSH inspectorates."
Stora Enso sets target for its
CO2 emission reductions
Helsinki
(16.03.2008 – Juhani Artto) The Finnish-Swedish forest industry giant Stora Enso has
set a concrete goal for its carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions. The emissions should
be cut by a fifth from 2006 levels by 2020. The comparable figures are expressed in CO2
emissions per saleable pulp, paper and board tons. The figures cover both the emissions of
Stora Enso’s own operations and the emissions caused by the purchased electricity and
heat consumed in Stora Enso’s operations.
OSH inspectors uncover a
disturbing amount of illegal practises
in restaurants and coffee shops
Helsinki (06.03.2008 - Juhani Artto) Within the
catering industry there is a national collective agreement of generally binding character
but unfortunately not all employers are compliant. In 2007 OSH inspectors made inspections
of 200 restaurants and coffee shops. Eighty of these employed immigrant labour. The
inspectors concluded that wages were often below the minimum level as defined by the
collective agreement. Since October 2007 the minimum wage has been EUR8.72 per hour. Only
half of the employers had bothered to arrange statutory health care for their personnel.
TU puts off strike at
TeliaSonera
TU (03.03.2008) The Union of Salaried Employees TU will
refrain, until late March, from putting pressure, in any form, on TeliaSonera. So, in
effect strike action is to be postponed for four weeks. This was the outcome of the
meeting between TU’s and TeliaSonera’s leaders, held on Monday 25 February.
TeliaSonera, for its part, will freeze its profitability programme until the company has
given TU a concrete explanation as to what kind of impact the planned projects will have
on various business units and the personnel.
TU sues Stora Enso for
breaching
the Act on Cooperation within Undertakings
TU (28.02.2008) The way in which Stora Enso conducted
proceedings in closing the Summa paper mill in Southeast Finland is to have
legal consequences. The Union of Salaried Employees TU sued the Finnish-Swedish company on
Wednesday 27 February for breaching the Act on Cooperation within Undertakings. The union
is claiming EUR30,000 in compensation for each
of the 43 salaried employees who have been made redundant at the mill.
Risk of accidents at
work continued to increase in 2007
Helsinki (25.02.2008 - Juhani Artto) Preliminary
figures indicate that the number of accidents at work continued to rise in 2007. The
number of accidents at work grew by 4.3 per cent. This upward ‘negative’ trend
began already back in 2005. Before this statistics bore witness to a positive development
over four consecutive years. In 2007 the number of accidents per million working hours
increased from 33.1 to 33.9. Thus the accident frequency rose by 2.3 per cent. Within
industry the accident frequency grew slightly below the average, 1.7 per cent.
One in four
construction workers in Uusimaa
now comes from abroad
(20.02.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin
Sanomat)
Botnia's timber supply network provides employment
for over 3,000 Uruguayans
Helsinki (18.02.2008 - Juhani Artto) Botnia's pulp mill in Fray Bentos in Uruguay received
international attention from the very beginning during its construction stage. And this
was due to the fierce opposition to the project in neighbouring Argentina, on the other
side of the river Uruguay. In Finland the Uruguay project has been followed closely by the
media and others, as Botnia is owned by the Finnish forest industry companies UPM,
Metsäliitto and M-real. The Finnish trade union movement has worked hard to ensure that
Botnia and its subcontractors treat their employees fairly. Forest workers of the timber
supply network of Botnia earned, in May 2007, on average EUR213 per month, a new study,
published 29 January 2008, reveals.
TU demands that TeliaSonera
explain
why it plans to cut nearly 1,000 jobs in Finland
TU (18.02.2008) The Union of Salaried Employees TU threatens
to strike unless TeliaSonera provides the union with a satisfactory explanation for its
plan to cut nearly 1,000 jobs in Finland. TU has given the company until Wednesday 27
February to answer questions which the union will put to TeliaSonera formally early this
week. "We are ready to strike if we do not get from TeliaSonera arguments and
clarifications that satisfy us", Antti Rinne, TU's president says. According to Rinne
possible industrial action concerns all TeliaSonera's activities in Finland. At present
the Swedish-Finnish telecommunication provider has over 5,000 salaried employees in Finland.
Foreign
workers often underpaid
(15.02.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Nokia
declaration - by trade union leaders from Metalli, TEK, UIL, TU, the IG Metall,
and European Metalworkers’ Federation in respect of Nokia corporate policy
(13.02.2008 - link to the web site of EMF) The
trade union leaders reject any attempt by Nokia to threaten the workers in different
manufacturing plants and to play one off against the other. It is unacceptable for Nokia
top management announce plant closures and mass redundancies without a satisfactory prior
information, consultation and negotiation procedure. That Nokia management feels it can
behave in this way obviously seems to be an attack on the basic rules of
the European social model.
TeliaSonera's Finnish clerical workers say prepared to strike
(12.02.2008 - link to the web site of Newsroom Finland)
Victims of
sexual harassment rarely bring cases to court
(12.02.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Unions accuse employers of
"collective agreement shopping"
Helsinki (11.02.2008 - Juhani Artto) In the last few years "collective
agreement shopping" has become more common in the Finnish labour market. In the trade
union dialect, collective agreement shopping means that employers remove employees from
the collective agreement they started out under to one which from the employees' point of
view, is much less to their taste. This accusation was recently levelled at employers by
the Trade Union for Public and Welfare Sectors JHL and three other unions at their common
press meeting. According to these groups both public and private employers have used this
unfair practise. There are dozens of these "shopping" cases, in various parts of
Finland. Internationally known companies, such as ISS, Sodexho, Nordea and Itella, were
mentioned as some of these "shoppers".
Copenhagen asked to check workers'
rights
before EU treaty ratified
(11.02.2008 - link to the web site of EUobserver.com)
Philippine nurses
asked to pay illegal fees for Finnish job
(11.02.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
TeliaSonera to cut 1,000 jobs in Finland, 2,000 more in Sweden
(08.02.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
"Local people have responded to us
whenever we have asked for solidarity"
(06.02.2007 - link to the web site of SASK) UNITES India General Secretary,
Mr. Karthik Shekhar, what is the name of the project you work for? - Organising
call center employees. This project is based in India and is operational in Bengalooru,
Chennai, Cochin & Trivandrum, Hyderbad, Mumbai & National Capital Region (Delhi).
- How has the project progressed since its founding? - Project has been going
well, from very few members when we started today we have more than 7,000 members.We have
been able to create an awareness amongst the ITES workers across India.
Project on employee involvement in Danske Bank
(06.02.2008 - link to the web site of UNI) The main objectives of the project are to
strengthen the international co-operation between employee representatives in the
different countries and the co-operation between the employee representatives and the
management of the Danske Bank Group. The participants of the project will also obtain
knowledge regarding the conditions of employee representation in the Baltic countries. The
participants of the project are the Danske Bank Group (represented by the HR-management)
and the local unions representing Danske Bank employees in Denmark, Norway, Sweden,
Ireland, Northern Ireland and Finland.
Flexicurity: Europe's employment solution?
(25.01.2008 - link to the web site of EurActiv.com)
TietoEnator to cut
400 jobs in Finland
- operations transferred to Asia and East Europe
(25.01.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
State railways plans to hire & train 2,000
(23.01.2008 - link to the web site of Yle News)
Nokia top management meet with Bochum employees
(22.01.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Anger at Nokia swells in Germany
- top politicians join fray over plant closure
(21.01.2008 - link to the web site of Helsingin Sanomat)
Unions
plan more action to stave off closure
at Kemijärvi and Summa mills
Helsinki (21.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) Trade unions, representing Stora Enso's employees, plan to increase
pressure to save almost one thousand jobs at the company's Kemijärvi and Summa mills in Northern and South-Eastern
Finland. The mandatory negotiations, between Stora Enso and the representatives of the
workforce ended on Thursday 17 January without any break-through. The paperworkers' union is strenuous in its
demand that Stora Enso agree to sell the mills to investors who are ready to continue
production at the two mills. The union of
salaried employees TU primarily wants Stora Enso to suspend the
closure date until September. On Monday 14 January the largest union confederation, SAK,
asked Stora Enso to allow the parties more time to study and examine the factors that have
played such an important role in the company's decision.
International interest on "Finnish model" in discussion
on flexisecurity and other social model issues
Helsinki (19.01.2008
- Juhani Artto)
In recent years Finland has succeeded remarkably well in various international
comparisons. Finland has belonged to the top scorers, for example, in competitiviness, in
learning results of teenagers and in fighting corruption . Also the real incomes of wage
and salary earners have, since mid 1990s, risen clearly stronger than in most other OECD
countries. Therefore it is no wonder that international media has, in the last few
years, often referred to Finland in discussion on strenghts and weaknesses of various
social models. This week offered new examples on such references. ... Read more
Finnish Paperworkers' Union mulls strike
against Stora Enso
(18.01.2008 - link to the web site of YLE News)
Stora to cut 985 jobs, close mills despite protests
(17.01.2008 - link to the web site of Guardian Unlimited)
SAK: More time needed for Kemijärvi, Summa plants
(14.01.2008 - link to the web site of YLE News)
Paper union convinced production in Summa will continue
(09.01.2008 - link to the web site of YLE News)
Political pressure to save Stora Enso pulp mill grows
(08.01.2008 - link to the web site of YLE News)
The
number of job termination notices reduced in 2007
Helsinki (08.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) In 2007 companies operating in
Finland gave notice to almost 4,400 employees, according to the figures of the largest
union confederation, SAK. The number decreased considerably from 2006 when over 7,500 lost
their jobs as a result of dismissal. Also the number of employees, covered by negotiations
due to the regulations of the Act on Co-operation within Undertakings*, was cut by almost half. The Act obliges an employer to
negotiate with representatives of the personnel, in line with the so called co-operative
procedure, whenever a company plans to implement essential changes, such as mass
termination of employment. In 2007 these co-operative procedures covered over 24,000
employees. In 2006 the number was about 43,000.
PTT: Home prices to blame for capital
region's labour woes
(08.01.2008 - link to the web site of Newsroom Finland)
Surprising trend:
The age structure of the labour
force has got older
but the average number of sick leave days has decreased
Helsinki (03.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) Preliminary data from the 2007 working
life barometer offers a surprise. The number of sick leave days continues, last year, to
decrease despite the age structure of the labour force having got older. In 2005, the
average number of sick leave days per employee was 9.3 and for 2007 it will be only 8.0
days. In 2006 the number was 8.9 days. By international comparison this trend is
exceptional, comments Elina Moisio, a special assistant at the ministry of labour. The
biggest surprise in the preliminary results is that the largest drop in the number of sick
leave days was to be found amongst the oldest group of employees (over 54 years of age).
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