8.4.2019Nation of the Free campaign fights for labour rights in Parliamentary elections
Finland will elect a new Parliament on Sunday 14 April. The campaign Nation of the Free is striving to get labour market issues onto the electoral agenda.
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2.4.2019Fragmentation of working life turns organising rate down
The fragmentation and precarisation of working life affects trade union membership, too. According to a new study union density has declined.
21.3.2019Industrial Union places embargo on Lapwall
The Industrial Union has declared an unusual embargo on the Lapwall company. The reasons for this have their roots in the strike action that occurred last October.
5.3.2019No new activation model stage two
The tripartite working group was unable to agree on new rules for unemployed jobseekers. The group was working along the lines of a so called activation model two, the Government proposal on the additional criteria jobseekers must meet to get uncut unemployment benefit.
21.2.2019Citizens’ initiative to stop activation model voted down in Parliament following most unusual debate
Helsinki (21.02.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) Debate in the Finnish Parliament on the citizens' initiative to stop the so called activation model took a peculiar turn. At the beginning of the debate on the initiative signed by 140,944 citizen not a single MP from the Government parties turned up.
19.2.2019Finnish employee must work 34 days to reach a single day’s pay for CEO
February 18 was the moment at which the average private sector employee earnings of this year surpassed a private company chief executive’s daily pay.
11.2.2019Redundancies remain at relatively low level in 2018
Helsinki (08.02.2019 - Heikki Jokinen) A total of 3,362 employees lost their jobs in private companies in Finland in the year 2018. This is practically the same figure as for the previous year, when 3,276 people were made redundant in the private sector. In 2016 the number of redundancies was 10,874.
31.1.2019Grave neglect revealed in privatised elderly care – unions demand immediate measures
Helsinki (30.01.2019 - Heikki Jokinen) Gross neglect is thought to be the reason for one death in privatised elderly care and this has created a major debate in Finland. However, trade unions have been warning about these problems for a long time.
28.1.2019Labour market organisations demand action programme regarding migrant labour
Five main Finnish labour market organisations are touring the country together to launch a broad debate on working life issues in advance of the parliamentary elections on April 14. All three trade union confederations will take part, as well as two major employers associations.
7.1.2019Gender equality increasingly the norm on Finnish Union Boards
Gender equality has become far more prevalent among trade unions in Finland. A quick look at how their boards are composed is evidence enough. In many unions the share of women and men on boards mainly reflects the membership, with few exceptions.
20.12.2018Activation model neither activates people nor helps in finding a job, it simply cuts unemployment benefits
Helsinki (20.12.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) Only 30 per cent of the unemployed have been able to meet the new criteria to get uncut unemployment benefit under the amended employment security legislation, according to a survey conducted among 6,000 members of unemployment funds run by the unions belonging to the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK.
10.12.2018Labour costs for an employer 34.2 Euro per hour in 2016
Helsinki (07.12.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) Labour costs in Finland were, on average, 34.2 Euro per hour in 2016, according to Statistics Finland in its Labour Cost Survey published in November 2018.
23.11.2018Self-employed workers need more bargaining power
Helsinki (22.11.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) A trade union movement working party called Itset has published a list of goals to improve the situation of self-employed workers.
12.11.2018A truce in the struggle over dismissal law and new tripartite bill beckons peace in labour market
The trade unions are ready to accept the tripartite proposal for an amendment to the Employment Contracts Act concerning the disputed dismissal paragraph. In practise the amendment will not change anything. Industrial action is over now, too.
30.10.2018Unions suspend industrial action after Government backs off on bill to ease dismissals
The trade unions have interrupted their ongoing acts of industrial action to negotiate with the Finnish Government on their new proposal for labour market legislation.
19.10.2018FAQs about strike
What the strike means? This page provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).
17.10.2018JHL heightens industrial action, two-day strike at the beginning of next week
The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL is continuing its political industrial action, in opposition to the lay-off bill. The union’s Executive Committee has decided to initiate a political strike on 22 October. The duration of the strike is two days and it will impact cleaning, property maintenance, food services and sports and culture services.
16.10.2018Unions view Government call for a confidence vote over dismissal legislation as political theatre
PM Sipilä wants to undermine trade union movement resistance to the planned law allowing for easy dismissal in small companies by calling for a confidence vote in Parliament.
10.10.2018The dismissal bill dispute escalates – and might get even worse
The dispute over Government efforts to make it easier to dismiss employees in small companies has not abated. Quite the contrary.
8.10.2018A broad campaign calls for legislation on human rights due diligence
More than 70 companies, trade unions and NGO's are campaigning for a Finnish law on mandatory human rights due diligence. The campaign called Ykkösketjuun is coordinated by the Finnish industry watchdog Finnwatch.
3.10.2018Professional Engineers Union also comes out against law to ease dismissals
Helsinki (03.10.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland IL has added its weight to the campaign to defend employees against the planned legislation to ease individual dismissals.
2.10.2018Union protests against easing of dismissals widen to include one day strike
Five unions are to stage a one day strike on Wednesday 3 October.
28.9.2018FAQs about the overtime and shift-trading ban
Why has JHL decided to launch an overtime and shift-trading ban as a means of political industrial action? This page provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
28.9.2018Neoliberal think tank issues complaint to EU Commission about Finland’s collective agreements
Helsinki (28.09.2018 - Heikki Jokinen) The neoliberal think tank Libera has filed a complaint against State of Finland to the EU Commission concerning the generally binding collective agreements in Finland. Libera claims these are an obstacle to a free market and competition.