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Helsinki (27.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) The two largest unions involved in the six industrial unions' amalgamation project (TEAM) will soon decide their respective positions towards the whole project.

Rank and file members of the Chemical Workers' Union will vote on the issue from 5 to 19 February, in a vote which will be binding. And during the same time frame the Metalworkers' Union will hold a consultative referendum but its leaders have promised to honour the position of the majority.

Helsinki (26.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) The major labour market parties announced on Thursday that they have reached common understanding on a few changes in unemployment benefits and the financing of pensions. The organisations behind the proposals are the union confederations SAK, STTK and Akava and the employers' Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK).

The package is a compromise on important social policy issues that have in recent times been under discussion. Some of the issues concerned are also being dealt with by the SATA committee, which is preparing a comprehensive reform of the Finnish social welfare system.

Reactions to the proposals have mainly been positive, especially in the trade union movement. For the latter the negotiations and their outcome are seen as a continuation of the comprehensive income policy agreements.

Helsinki (06.01.2009 - Juhani Artto) At the of November 2008, the number of laid-off employees totalled 12,500, which was three times more than a month earlier.

Total number of registered unemployed jobseekers was 201,200. Of them 40,100 had been unemployed without interruption for more than a year. The number had reduced by 7,300 from November 2007.

Helsinki (30.06.2008 - Juhani Artto) Late May brought to light serious disagreements that may derail the project, known as TEAM, with the intended purpose of amalgamating six industrial unions.

The six unions involved in amalgamation preparations are (rank and file members 1 January 2007)
The Chemical Workers' Union (47,600)
The Electrical Workers' Union (32,300)
The Media Union (24,200)
The Metalworkers' Union (165,500)
The Railway Workers' Union (14,500)
The Wood and Allied Workers' Union (45,600)

Strong doubts about the future of the venture have been expressed by Matti Alakoski, the President of the Electrical Workers Union, and Timo Vallittu, the President of the Chemical Workers' Union. Both of them criticise certain conditions approved by the Congress of the Metalworkers'Union.

Helsinki (21.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) Trade unions, representing Stora Enso's employees, plan to increase pressure to save almost one thousand jobs at the company's Kemijärvi and Summa mills in Northern and South-Eastern Finland. The mandatory negotiations, between Stora Enso and the representatives of the workforce ended on Thursday 17 January without any break-through.

The paperworkers' union is strenuous in its demand that Stora Enso agree to sell the mills to investors who are ready to continue production at the two mills. According to the union there are potential buyers for both mills. The union is still counting on intervention by the Finnish government to persuade Stora Enso to recind its decision to close the two mills without due consideration to a transfer of ownership. 

The Finnish state holds almost 16 per cent of Stora Enso's shares and controls 35 per cent of the votes.

Helsinki (19.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) In recent years Finland has succeeded remarkably well in various international comparisons. Finland has belonged to the top scorers, for example, in competitiviness, in learning results of teenagers and in fighting corruption . Also the real incomes of wage and salary earners have, since mid 1990s, risen clearly stronger than in most other OECD countries.

Therefore it is no wonder that international media has, in the last few years, often referred to Finland in discussion on strenghts and weaknesses of various social models. This week offered new examples on such references.

Helsinki (03.01.2008 - Juhani Artto) Preliminary data from the 2007 working life barometer offers a surprise. The number of sick leave days continues, last year, to decrease despite the age structure of the labour force having got older. In 2005, the average number of sick leave days per employee was 9.3 and for 2007 it will be only 8.0 days. In 2006 the number was 8.9 days.

By international comparison this trend is exceptional, comments Elina Moisio, a special assistant at the ministry of labour.

The biggest surprise in the preliminary results is that the largest drop in the number of sick leave days was to be found amongst the oldest group of employees (over 54 years of age).

Helsinki (19.07.2007 - Juhani Artto) The merger project concerning six SAK unions will go ahead in August. The proposals put forward in April by Lauri Lyly, the director of SAK’s bargaining department, will form the basis for the preparatory work. Also, points raised by the different unions on Lyly’s proposals belong to the starting points.

The preparatory work will be conducted by nine task forces, which are soon to be elected for this purpose. These members will represent expertise in major functions of the unions.

The Paper Workers Union has decided to abstain from the merger talks. Instead of a full merger it seeks closer cooperation with the unions concerned. The union will also have a monitoring status in the merger process.

Helsinki (09.04.2007 - Juhani Artto) A full merger is the more promising option than either closer cooperation or a model somewhere in between these two options. Thus concludes Lauri Lyly, the director of SAK's bargaining department, who was in December 2006 commissioned by six industrial trade unions to map options for their future relations.

The six unions involved are (rank and file members in 2006)
The Chemical Workers' Union (47 600)
The Electrical Workers' Union (32 300)
The Media Union (24 200)
The Paper Workers' Union (47 100)
The Wood and Allied Workers' Union (45 600)
The Metalworkers' Union (165 500)

Lyly proposes that the new union (made up of a coming together of the above), TEAM, as Lyly calls it, would begin to function at the beginning of 2010.

Helsinki (05.04.2007 – Juhani Artto) Over EUR 700,000. - That’s the amount of money the Finnish Electrical workers’ union was able to secure to some 90 Polish electricians who had worked in Finland for only about EUR5 hourly wages.

The blockade and other means, applied by the union, compelled the Polish company MSB to agree on hourly wages from EUR12.30 to EUR14.00. The agreed wages are based on the collective agreement, applicable for electricians at construction sites.