| In JHL (29.04.2010 - Juhani Artto) In The announcement came as a total surprise to the drivers. They accuse the employer of having completely broken the legislation on mandatory company-level consultation. This unilateral move risks undermining drivers' annual leave rights and the present work schedules. Thus, the decision will have a negative impact on drivers' well-being at work, shop steward Hannu Toikkanen says. The employer company, Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy, is owned by the City of Helsinki. The present company-specific agreement expires on April 30. It is signed by the drivers' trade union JHL (The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors). The bus traffic national collective agreement has been negotiated and signed by another union, AKT that organises transport workers and employees in the tourism industry. The drivers are demanding that their employer negotiate a new company-specific collective agreement with the JHL. The annual leave rights and other benefits -covered by the present agreement- must be preserved, the drivers insist. Within the trade union movement the kind of measure now being applied by the drivers' employer is known as "agreement shopping". In recent years it has become more common for employers to use this new tactic in a bid to water down regulations concerning working conditions. And, by employing this tactic the employers also seek to undermine the unity of the trade union movement.
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