New conciliation proposal for the state sector collective agreement dispute and a two weeks’ postponement for the third strike
The National Conciliator submitted on Sunday a new conciliation proposal in an effort to resolve the situation with the state sector collective agreement. The state sector strike that has been announced for 8 and 9 May is postponed by two weeks because the Office for the Government as Employer has referred the strike to the National Dispute Impact Assessment Board.
Trade Union JHL’s Executive Committee and Union Council will meet on Monday to decide on approving or rejecting the conciliation proposal.
The National Conciliator requires answers to the conciliation proposal by 8 pm on Monday.
Industrial action in the state sector began in March
The current collective agreement dispute in the state sector has continued for a long time. It has already resulted in two state sector strikes.
The state sector employees’ principal negotiating organisations JHL, Trade Union Pro and the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO issued the most recent, third strike warning on 22 March 2025.
However, this strike that was planned for 8–9 May is going to be postponed by two weeks because the Office for the Government as Employer announced that it will refer the strike to the National Dispute Impact Assessment Board.
The Office for the Government as Employer claims that agreement has not been found in all agencies when the parties have negotiated on refraining from or limiting industrial action.
The Office for the Government as Employer also finds that the strike can lead into a serious disruption of essential functions of society.
The dispute impact assessment board will assess the planned industrial actions
It is the processing in the dispute impact assessment board that postpones the strike by two weeks. The dispute impact assessment board has eight members. Four of the board members are appointed by the negotiating authority, and four are appointed by the associations of public servants. JHL’s dispute impact assessment board member is lawyer Kati Piipponen.
The dispute impact assessment board does not have the authority to forbid industrial actions. It assesses whether the planned industrial actions would seriously disrupt essential functions of society.
If the dispute impact assessment board finds that a planned industrial action would seriously disrupt essential functions of society, it must exhort in its decision the parties to refrain from the industrial action in part or in whole. However, the exhortation of the dispute impact assessment board is not binding to the parties.
The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL, Trade Union Pro and the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO represent the employees in these negotiations, and Office for the Government as Employer (VTML) represents the employer.
JHL’s negotiators are Senior Bargaining Specialist Harri Turunen and Bargaining Specialist Teija Wikman.
More information:
Harri Turunen, Senior Bargaining Specialist at JHL, 050 461 9303
Teija Wikman, Bargaining Specialist at JHL, 050 565 1579
Your trade union JHL negotiates on a number of collective agreements in 2025. Follow the negotiations on our website.
Join JHL!
JHL is the most diverse trade union in Finland. Our members work in about one thousand different occupations in welfare and public services. You can be for example a social welfare or health care professional, a youth worker or an early childhood education and care expert, a cleaner, a cook, a secretary, a security guard or a train conductor, and we are your trade union!
