Collective agreement negotiations
Trade Union JHL’s negotiations on its members’ most important membership benefit, collective agreements, are now finished for 2023. Most of our sectors will return to the negotiation table at the beginning of 2025. What happens in terms of bargaining activities between rounds of negotiation? This page sheds light on the issue.
After the actual collective agreement negotiations, JHL and the other negotiation parties will act in accordance with the so-called continuous negotiation principle throughout the agreement period. Even at these negotiation tables, we always defend our members. You too should join us! The more members we have, the more power we have to influence matters. Also follow JHL’s negotiation news.
Continuous negotiations
The principle of continuous negotiation means that JHL and the other parties will continue their discussion and dialogue after the collective agreement negotiations throughout the entire agreement period. One reason for entering the negotiation table is if a disagreement arises between the employer and employees on how the collective agreement should be interpreted. Another reason is if the employer party is planning reform projects that will impact valid agreements.
Continuous negotiations are important for instance because they
- give the parties the chance to react to situations that are changing fast
- provide a forum on which one can solve disputes related to collective agreement interpretations without taking legal action
- promote a dialogue between employees and employers.
Working groups during the agreement period
In addition to the continuous negotiation principle, JHL is involved in working groups that have been agreed on in collective agreement negotiations throughout the agreement period. Each collective agreement has its own working groups. Many agreements have several groups.
The working groups have often been tasked with finding a solution to or further developing something.
There may be a date set for the work by which results should be produced.
The working groups usually work throughout the entire agreement period, because the costs that arise from them are normally agreed on in the following agreement negotiations.
Some working groups are long term and continue their work from one agreement period to another. Some working groups only work for one agreement period.
Working groups have been agreed on in nearly all collective agreements concluded by JHL. To see all the agreements, go to jhl.fi/tyoehtosopimukset (in Finnish).
Examples of working groups
All municipal and welfare sector agreements have their own pay working groups tasked with finding the solutions to their own agreement’s pay systems. These are especially current in wellbeing services counties’ agreements (HYVTES and SOTE), in which a new pay system has to be constructed. Several agreements also have groups related to working time matters.
The state also has its own pay working group, the duty of which is to make suggestions to further develop the Finnish state’s pay systems.
The private social services sector has a working group looking into protective clothing.
The church sector doesn’t have official working groups. The main group negotiates on all matters. For instance, the negotiations on the sector’s competitive ability when it comes to pay should be over and done with by 30 November. These negotiations will affect the agreement period’s upcoming pay raises.
Collective agreements
Learn about some of our collective agreements here.