General-level pay increases for the private teaching sector and vocational adult education centres

Collective agreement negotiations were conducted in a constructive atmosphere, and an agreement was reached before the previous agreement period ended.

The private teaching sector and vocational adult education centres have new collective agreements that are effective from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028. The contents of the two agreements are almost identical.

A negotiation result was reached on 31 March, and the executive bodies of all negotiating parties have approved it.

“We negotiated in a constructive atmosphere. A key goal was getting pay increases that align with the generally accepted pay increase level, and that was negotiated until the final stretch”, says JHL’s Senior Bargaining Specialist Hanna Katajamäki.

She says that the negotiations succeeded in this, and the outcome is a pay settlement that aligns with the general level. The total pay increases in years 2025–2027 amount to 7.8%.

These collective agreements apply to administrative and support service staff in the private teaching sector and vocational adult education centres and cover about 5300 people. These employees work for example as assistants, aides, secretaries, coordinators and specialists, as well as in catering and in cleaning and property services.

The agreement period ends at the end of March 2028

The collective agreements became operative on 7 April 2026. The new agreement period will end on 31 March 2028.

After that, the agreements are renewed annually unless one of the negotiating parties gives a notice of termination at least six weeks before the end of the agreement period.

Pay increases in 2026

• 2.03% across-the-board increase on 1 July 2026

This across-the-board increase raises individual pays and scheduled pays as well as increments and fees that are specified in euros.

• Local increase allowance 0.87% on 1 July 2026

A 0.47% portion of the local increase allowance will be used as pay adjustment allowance for revising scheduled pays on 1 July 2026. This pay adjustment allowance is spent for increasing individual pays and scheduled pays and increments and fees that are specified in euros that apply on 30 June 2026.

A 0.4% portion of the local increase allowance is used locally in a way decided by the employer based on the difficulty level of the work and/or on work performance. Before distributing this allowance, the employer has to negotiate with the shop stewards about how the allowance is spent.

Pay increases in 2027

• 2% across-the-board increase on 1 July 2027

This across-the-board increase raises individual pays and scheduled pays as well as increments and fees that are specified in euros.

• Local increase allowance 0.4% on 1 July 2027

The local increase allowance is used locally in a way decided by the employer based on the difficulty level of the work and on work performance. Before distributing this allowance, the employer has to negotiate with the shop stewards about how the allowance is spent.

The local increase allowance must be paid at the latest with the pay of September 2027, and it will be paid retroactively from 1 July 2027 to those employees who were in their current employment in July 2027 and who receive pay in September. No interest is paid for the retroactive pay increases.

When the official layout of the collective agreements is finalised, they will be published (in Finnish) on our page työehtosopimukset

JHL and Jyty represented the employees in the collective agreement negotiations of the private teaching sector and vocational adult education centres, and Finnish Education Employers (FEE) represented the employers.

More information:
Hanna Katajamäki, Senior Bargaining Specialist, 050 513 7701