Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Saturday 15.2.2025

Collective bargaining

There have been many strikes and other industrial action in Finland in recent months.

Many sectors are currently negotiating a new collective agreement. The strikes are intended to speed up the negotiations.

Now we will tell you more about it.

Labor disputes

There have been several strikes in the technology industry since December. Photo: Jarkko Heikkinen / Yle

Strikes or other industrial action are currently underway in many sectors.

For example, workers in the technology industry have been on strike since December.

The retail sector is threatened by a major strike next week.

Industrial disputes are also taking place, for example, among Finnair pilots, ski resort employees, and food industry workers. In these sectors, there are, for example, bans on shift rotation, standby, and overtime.

Minimum working conditions

A strike in the trade sector may begin next week. Photo: Esa Huuhko / Yle

There are many industrial disputes now because in many sectors the old collective agreement has expired and a new agreement has not yet been reached.

When negotiations stall, employees try to get their way through strikes or other industrial action.

The employers’ method of industrial action is a lockout. During a lockout, the employer does not allow employees to work and does not pay them wages.

Collective agreements are important. They set minimum working conditions that apply to the entire sector. They cover, for example, wages, working hours and holidays.

Kingdom mediator

Anu Sajavaara is the national mediator. Photo: Petteri Bülow / Yle

The collective agreement is negotiated by employers’ and employees’ organizations. When negotiations do not progress, the national mediator comes to the rescue. The mediator’s job is to find a solution that everyone can accept.

Tomorrow, Sunday, the National Mediator will mediate labor disputes in the technology industry and the retail sector. If no agreement is reached, strikes in the technology industry will continue, and strikes in the retail sector will begin next week.

Repetition

In the news week, we talked about collective agreements.

Many sectors are now negotiating a new collective agreement.

The collective agreement sets out minimum working conditions that apply to the entire sector.

Employees can try to speed up negotiations, for example with strikes, while employers can declare a lockout.

The task of the Kingdom Mediator is to find a solution that everyone can accept.

This was Uutisviikko in plain Finnish. Listen!