No negotiation result in collective agreement negotiations for personal assistants – period without agreement is looming
No negotiation result has been reached in the collective agreement negotiations for personal assistants. The agreement period will end on Sunday 30 April. A period without agreement seems likely. This means that industrial action measures are possible.
Collective agreement negotiations for personal assistants have been conducted since the end of January. According to JHL’s Senior Bargaining Specialist Laura Tuominen, the goal was to achieve a negotiation result on the new terms and conditions of employment by 30 April before the agreement period ends. This did not happen.
− For calendar reasons, we will no longer be able to complete the negotiations during the agreement’s period of validity. We are drifting into a period without agreement, Tuominen states.
Tuominen is clearly disappointed in the situation.
− Trade Union JHL’s goal has been to achieve a collective agreement solution that increases the appreciation for personal assistance work and corresponds better to the versatile and demanding nature of the job. The work is important but the pay is low. The sector is in a serious pay gap in relation to how demanding the work is. Improvements must also be made to the terms and conditions of employment, and to working conditions.
What a period without agreement means
A period without agreement does not mean a “Wild West” where everything that has been agreed thus far would be wiped off the table. It means that the terms and conditions of the collective agreement expiring on 30 April will be valid until the new agreement has entered into force.
During a period without agreement, industrial action measures are possible.
- We are inviting a member meeting to convene on Tuesday 2 May. In the meeting, we will talk about the current negotiating situation and inform about further measures, Laura Tuominen explains.
More information:
Senior Bargaining Specialist Laura Tuominen, 050 409 2460