The trade union movement in Finland
Approximately 70% of wage earners in Finland are members of a trade union. One of the largest trade unions is the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors, JHL, with some 225,000 members. JHL is a member of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, SAK.
In Finland, wage-earners’ rights and obligations are governed by collective agreements and labour legislation, and the majority of employers comply with the collective agreements. In Finland, the collective agreements provide wide coverage for a range of wage earners, wherever they work.
Collective agreements cover issues such as
- salaries
- annual holidays and
- working hours.
The trade union movement can be credited with achieving improvements in the status of workers, for example by
- negotiating the fiveday work week
- minimum wage
- paid holidays and
- the 8-hour workday
– notions that are nowadays taken for granted, but which were once considered radical.
Many consider an independent and wellfunctioning trade union movement to be an important factor in the development of a state’s democracy and economy.
In Finland, the trade union movement has also been involved in negotiations concerning the Child Benefit Act and parental leave.
Our labour market system requires a high level of joint responsibility, which is why it is crucial that as many wage earners as possible are paying members of their respective trade union. This is the only way to ensure that trade unions, such as JHL, can offer efficient negotiation and trusteeship activities. At the workplace, active union members work to safeguard the employees’ interests – they are voluntary workers acting in the capacity of elected officials who hold a position of trust.
