Collective bargaining review: Industrial Union and Finnair pilots launch industrial action

The collective agreements for several industries will end in early 2025. Agreements that have already expired include those for the technology industries and Finnair pilots, with industrial action currently ongoing in both of these sectors.

Besides the technology industries, the Industrial Union has launched collective bargaining in the chemicals, textiles and fashion sectors, and in agricultural industries. The slow progress of negotiations in the technology industries has motivated the Industrial Union to issue warnings of 24-hour strikes in 218 enterprises between 3 and 12 December. The labour dispute between this union and Technology Industry Employers of Finland has been subject to inconclusive mediation led by the National Conciliator, with all strikes now either already called or imminent. The strikes called by the Industrial Union also apply to members of the Electrical Workers’ Union working in businesses covered by this industrial action.

SAK trade unions support Industrial Union collective bargaining

The collective agreement for employees in technology industries is highly significant for agreements in other sectors. In launching the collective bargaining round, the Industrial Union sets the tone for all subsequent collective agreements and pay settlements to be negotiated.

A November announcement by the Industrial Union set a pay increase target of 10 per cent and not less than EUR 250 per month over a two-year period. Six other SAK member unions announced the same objective at this time. All of the SAK trade unions have announced their support for realising the objective of the Industrial Union.

The Industrial Union has already concluded new collective agreements with Stora Enso and Metsä Group in the mechanical forest industry. This sector had no national collective agreement after 2021 when the Finnish Forest Industries employers’ federation decided to devolve collective bargaining to individual businesses and workplaces.

Service Sector Employers Palta implemented two one-day lockouts of Finnair pilots in November. Staff representatives from the Finnish Air Line Pilots’ Association SLL report that employer intransigence concerning changes proposed by the airline pilots has been evident from the very start of negotiations. SLL called a partial work stoppage on Monday 9 December, and has issued a warning of another stoppage on Friday 13.

Several agreements in the service, public and transport sectors to expire in the New Year

The Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT is initiating collective bargaining in the road transport sector on Tuesday 10 December, with the current agreements due to expire at the end of January 2025.

The Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU approved pay rises for the last year of its three collective bargaining sectors in September, and has now begun negotiating a new collective agreement for employees of Åland Post. The Public and Welfare Sectors Trade Union (JHL) has also begun negotiating an entirely new collective agreement for the private early childhood education sector.

Service Union United PAM and its counterpart Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa have agreed to prolong the collective agreement for ski centre staff that expired at the end of October. This agreement will now continue until the end of January 2025. It was also agreed that staff will be paid a seasonal bonus of EUR 200 annually.

Besides the road transport industry, the collective agreements for such sectors as ports, retail trading, tourism, catering and leisure services, the food industry, the construction industry, and central and local government employees will expire in the early months of 2025.

Negotiations on new collective agreements will be monitored on the Finnish-language SAK website.