• The Chemical Workers' Union
  
• The Electrical Workers' Union
  
• The Media Union
  
• The Paper Workers' Union
  
• The Wood and Allied Workers' Union

According to the Electrical Workers' Union president Martti Alakoski the
five unions may even assimilate all functions of organisation other than collective bargaining.

"We, in the Electrical Workers' Union, are ready to go that far", Alakoski
says, referring to the union's strategy, approved less than a year ago. In
the new strategy, the union clearly states that it is going to keep in its own hands on collective bargaining.

Be that as it may, the common organisation of the five unions may become one of the signatories of the collective agreements, due to be negotiated in autumn 2007. If this were to be the case, each of the five unions would, within their own industries bargain separately, but sign the agreement(s) together with the new common union, and, naturally, with the respective employer associations.

"By doing so the new common union would commit itself to all collective
agreements the five unions have, in their particular industries, signed up to", Alakoski outlines.

In the initial phase of the cooperation and eventual merger negotiations,
the Construction Trade Union was the sixth participant, but a few months ago it decided to withdraw from the negotiations. However, when announcing its withdrawal, the union still emphasised the urgent need to tighten up cooperation between it and the other SAK unions.

The Media Union favours rank and file discussion
about possible merger options

In  mid -August the Media Union published and distributed to all of its rank and file comprehensive discussion material on how to develop the Media Union's activities and on various merger options.

Although the Media Union has already spent several months negotiating with the four other industrial unions it wants its rank and file also to weigh up the pros and cons of amalgamating with several other unions. In the discussion material, other graphical and media industry unions, the postal sector union PAU and a few trade unions in the cultural sector receive mention.

The rank and file discussion will go on for about three months. In December the Council of the Media Union will draw conclusions from the debate and decide how to proceed with the common project involving four other unions.

A speeding up appeal
from the top of the Chemical Workers' Union

Negotiations between the unions have progressed too slowly, Seppo
Wikström, the union secretary of the Chemical Workers' Union, said in mid -August.

He warned that the employers would go ahead with the quick merger process of their employer organisations and seek to combine collective agreements in a new way. "And the consequences will be alarming", Wikström added.

"In the worst case scenario one union will have a collective agreement and another union the rank and file. That would create an unsustainable
situation both in bargaining policy and in the daily safeguarding of
interests", Wikström said.

Read also:

+ Six SAK unions sign agreement on their organising spheres, Trade Union News from Finland 24.04.2006