Management taking tougher line at Finnish workplaces

Every five years the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK conducts a comprehensive survey of the views and situation of union members in working life. This survey has been performed since 1984 and is the broadest investigation undertaken in the Finnish NGO sector. The findings of the latest survey were published at the start of this week, and reflect the views of over 6,000 grassroots members of SAK-affiliated trade unions in January-February 2005.

These findings indicate that management attitudes towards employees at workplaces appear to have hardened over the last five years. Nearly two-thirds of all respondents (60 %) find that workplace management nowadays values efficiency above all things. Even though more than half (57 %) express the view that managers trust their subordinates, less than one third (30 %) believe that management appreciates the workforce to any fairly substantial degree.

The findings also suggest that the opportunities of workers to influence their own work have deteriorated to some extent. Higher education graduates consider their influence to be more extensive than average. By contrast, temporary employees in particular feel that their influence at the workplace is minor.

Casual work more common in private services

Three-quarters (77 %) of the respondent members of SAK-affiliated trade unions have regular jobs. The remainder are in atypical forms of work such as part-time, temporary or otherwise irregular and insecure employment (e.g. casual workers on call). The proportion of union members in atypical employment has fallen from 26 per cent to 23 per cent since the last survey. The reduction is most clear in the public sector, although this was where the greatest growth in atypical employment was recorded during the previous survey from 1995 to 2000. The highest rate of atypical employment continues to be the 29 per cent figure recorded for the private services sector.

More than half of the SAK trade unionists surveyed are in regular daytime work. However, the proportion of respondents in such work has fallen from 71 per cent to 56 per cent over the last 20 years. There has been a corresponding increase in the proportion of respondents performing shift work and other flexible working hours. Less than half (46 %) of respondents in the private services sector are in regular daytime work.

The survey also investigated experiences of job offers in the grey economy. About 5 per cent of SAK-affiliated trade unionists reported that they had been offered unofficial work. Younger employees were more likely to be offered such work: nearly one-tenth of respondents under 25 years of age had been asked to work unofficially.

Permanent employment the principal goal

The survey indicates that the main goal of SAK-affiliated union members is secure, permanent employment. This was the prime concern of half of the respondents. More than one quarter of those surveyed indicated that securing good pay rates was their main objective. The third most important objective was interesting and stimulating work, which 12 per cent of respondents regarded as essential.

The union members feel that combating unemployment must continue to be the primary objective of SAK-affiliated trade unions (21 % of respondents). This was followed by defending satisfactory levels of unemployment benefit (15 %). Other important objectives identified by the members were combating the spread of part-time and temporary employment, reducing earned income differentials, and defending pension and social welfare benefits.

The respondents considered that the principal services provided by trade unions to their members were unemployment benefit funds (21 %), advice and expert services (13 %) and vocational training (11 %).

One quarter engaged in union work

Nearly one quarter (24 %) of the respondent members of SAK-affiliated trade unions have served as a shop steward, labour protection delegate or in some other elected capacity in the workplace or trade union. Eight per cent of the members of SAK-affiliated trade unions currently hold some elected position at a workplace, union branch, local organisation or administrative council. 71 per cent of all workplaces currently have a shop steward or corresponding staff representative, compared to a corresponding figure of 66 per cent five years ago. This is the first time that this indicator has risen since membership surveys began in 1984.

SAK-affiliated union members in brief

500,000 women (46 %)
550,000 men (54 %)

About 100,000 trade union activists

One quarter work in the public sector (240,000 members)
One-third work in services (290,000 members)
Half work in industry (470,000 members)

One quarter are in atypical employment (23 %)
More than half are in regular daytime work (56 %)
One in seven members is unemployed or engaged in a subsidised employment or retraining programme (15 %)

The average monthly earnings of members in full-time work is just over EUR 2000