Employees make a point about jobs

Today on Friday the issues of social responsibility in business, redundancies and fair play will be the agenda for debate at thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of Finnish workplaces. The themes of discussions to take place on the Day of Action for jobs organised by Finland's three employee confederations SAK, STTK and Akava will include the future prospects of business enterprises, employee job security, and measures to promote vocational skills and employee motivation. The Day of Action comes in response to a year-long wave of layoffs and redundancies.

Many employers have been willing to take up the challenge offered by the trade unions in recent weeks and to respond to negotiation proposals. The format for negotiation and debate varies from one union and workplace to the next. Some businesses have arranged for discussion to take place between shop stewards and the employer, while others have organised events for the entire staff. Practically the entire SAK sector will be involved in the Day of Action.

Public opinion in Finland calls on businesses to show greater social responsibility

The latest Gallup poll commissioned by SAK in Finland indicates that 75 per cent of the Finnish public perceive a breakdown in social responsibility by employers and businesses in the form of unjustified redundancies and a lack of genuine co-operation in the workplace. 68 per cent of those interviewed consider that employees are justified in mounting some kind of response to this deterioration in enterprise social responsibility. One half of the Finnish public consider the Day of Action to be a proportionate reaction by employees to mass redundancies. One in five respondents would be willing to support more robust measures than a mere work stoppage. One quarter expressed the view that the Day of Action was unnecessary. The survey was based on responses from a representative sample of 1,000 respondents in early December.

SAK is hopeful that businesses will recognise the seriousness of public concern on this issue. Workplaces need co-operation instead of the current atmosphere of fear and intimidation. During the period of post-recession growth the trade union movement agreed to moderate pay rises; and now employees expect their employers to show corresponding moderation in respect of redundancies.

Mass petition for jobs

During the Day of Action members of the public throughout the country will be urged to sign a joint appeal by employees for jobs. 17,000 people have already signed the appeal on the Internet. The appeal can be signed on SAK's Finnish website at http://www.sak.fi/ajankohtaista_mielenilmaus.shtml?3673. It will be submitted at a later date to employers' federations and to the Minister of Labour.