Six unions participate in the preparation of a large merger

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.

However, the number of unions, participating in the merger preparation, remains at six as the Railway Workers Union has jumped onto the merger wagon. The Union is the largest of the three SAK unions organising employees who work on the railways. The two smaller ones organise salaried employees and engine drivers.

Thus the six unions participating in the merger 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)

The goal is to complete the preparatory work so that the new union, which will be the largest in Finland, is fully functional by 1 January 2010. The same deadline has been set for the merger of the respective unemployment funds.

By spring 2008, the parties are expected to have reached agreement upon the strategy and the structure of the new union. And it is planned that the union's rules should be approved in spring 2009 at the congress of the Media Union. It is the oldest of the six unions and, even more symbolically, the oldest national union in Finland. It was established in 1894.