Incomes policy settlement deferred to Thursday

A decision was taken yesterday to defer signing of Finland's new incomes policy settlement until Thursday afternoon. The aim is to enable the largest possible number of sectors that are still negotiating their own agreements to be formally included under the new national accord.

The trade unions and employers' federations were given a fortnight to negotiate reforms to their public and private sector collective agreements in various sectors based on the national settlement proposal. Although this deadline expired at 16:00 yesterday, negotiations were still incomplete in several sectors by this time.

Some new agreements were reached on Wednesday evening in such sectors as seafaring and mechanical forestry, but this was not enough for the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), which represents the employers. EK is insisting that the transport services and ports that are vital to the country's export sector must also be entirely covered by the national settlement. The employers have also stressed the importance of including the financial sector in the new accord.

In trade unions affiliated to SAK negotiations are currently continuing on the terms of employment of employee groups such as harbour stevedores and oil and tanker transport workers. Unions affiliated to STTK are still negotiating on behalf of clerical staff in ports and in the financial sector.

Some 800,000 workers organised in unions affiliated to SAK (nearly 81 per cent of the total) are already covered by the new national settlement. About 80 per cent of all employees in Finland are similarly included.

If negotiations continue to make progress today, then leaders of the national labour and employer confederations should be in a position to sign the comprehensive incomes policy settlement later this afternoon.

More information about the incomes policy settlement in Finnish: www.sak.fi/tupo.