Finnish willing to increase the social services fees of persons with good income

According to the study of Jyty, the federation of public and private sector employees representing officers (in Finnish, toimihenkilö) and employees at the service of municipalities and the church, a large part of the Finnish population is willing to increase municipal charges for persons with good income. In order to secure the municipal infrastructure and welfare services, nearly a third of Finnish would allow the additional paid services and an increase in municipal taxes.

The majority of Finns agrees that the basic social and welfare services may be supplemented by purchasing services from the private sector where necessary. There is a strong intention, however, to keep the services as part of the municipal service production.

The study also shows, that according to the public opinion, municipal savings should exclude school and health services, and service points should not be eliminated. Other service reductions, layoffs of the staff as well as making a debt in order to support municipal economy (in Finnish, talous) are not supported.

Based on the study, the reductions should be applied to the citizens' juries and other elected political positions. Nearly half of the respondents support municipal merging projects. Other ways to save money are seen in postponing construction works and other big investments.

One-third of the respondents are ready to increase municipal taxes. 62 percent of the respondents, however, consider that the social service and user charges should be staggered so that persons with better earnings would pay more of the services.

The study also investigated the appropriate retirement age and service sector employers' images. On average, Finns think they will stay at working life until they are 64-years old. Differences in occupation, place of residence and the political view are relatively small within this question. The best image of the employers is in the private employers.

The results of the survey shows that social services produced by municipal are valued and citizens are ready to support them heavily in order to secure the services. It would be important also to boost the image of municipal employer.

This study, produced by Jyty, examined public attitudes towards education and welfare services. The survey was carried out by TNS Gallup, which interviewed nearly 5 000 persons in Finnish at 2011. The margin of error of the study was 1.3 percentage in both directions.

Co-operation needed for the political state in Finland

The traditional political map formed again in last government election in Finland. The new political map can make upcoming negotiations of the employment collective agreement difficult. These negotiations held between the trade unions (in Finnish, ay-liike) and employers’ representative.

Finland's challenges before the elections were the same as now: a growth strategy at the national level must be created, employment increased, social exclusion have to be fight against, solutions to the problems of the state economy (in Finnish, talous) found, reform of taxation completed, public services secured and longer career paths supported. Finland should also have an EU policy that is credible.

In order to fulfill these great challenges, seamless co-operation between government and social organizations is needed. In the changing circumstances all parties should find ways to collaborate. Inability to cooperate eats the trade unions’ influence. However, there are problems between employers 'and employees' organizations, but also among trade unions.

For example STTK's chairman estimates that employers have been able to improve internal coordination better than the wage-earners side. In employees' side, each sector has managed lobbying on its own with no common goal. Cooperation has been much talked about, but little is to be seen.
The ability to cooperate is the only way to succeed in the long run. Otherwise, the employers’ side will set the rules, and trade unions can nothing but agree.

The salary increase agreed for social welfare and health employees in Finland do not occur

TEHY, the Finnish trade union (in Finnish, ay-liike) representing qualified health care professionals, social workers and students of these professions in both the private and the public sectors in Finland, signed an agreement with the employers’ representative on 2007. This contract is to last until the end of the year 2011 and regulates the labor (in Finnish, työelämä) of social and health care areas.

In the agreement, TEHY and employers agreed about the increases to the social and health care staffing salaries, if the amount of employees in the field will decrease. These increases are not to happen, as the amount of social and health care workers has been raising. According to the Statistics Center of Finland, during the years 2006 to 2010 a bit less than 7000 new employment contracts have been signed in social and health care sector. This amount was stated also by the negotiation partners both from employees and employers side.
In the last trade union negotiations, the salary increases of social and health care professionals were analyzed thoroughly and included in the four-year agreement. If the number of employees would have been reduced, salary increases would have occurred for TEHY trade union members of the extra work done with less resources.

The increase of employees in social and health care sectors means that more workforce has been received in units where there has been a need for personnel. According to TEHY, this increase of workforce has a positive effect on their members' working conditions and work well-being. The trade union members of municipal area also received an extra increase for their salary from the other agreements.

TEHY is one of the largest unions in Finland. Established in 1982, it has currently over 150,000 members. TEHY campaigns for improvements and development in the Finnish health and social care and wants to influence in the education and labor force policies. It negotiates and bargains the collective agreements of terms and conditions of work. Representing the interests of its members is the most important task of TEHY.

Fixed term work slows down the equal salary development of women

Fixed term employee contracts have many negative ramifications. They, for example, slow the development of equal wages for women, lead to the uncertainty of a livelihood, and in the worst case scenario affect an employee’s (in Finnish, palkansaaja) physical health.

Problems coming from fixed term employment contracts have the biggest impact on female and young personnel. The threat of unemployment in fixed term contracts is up to seven times higher than in a permanent job, which causes uncertainty. Fixed term employees might not belong to an occupational health system provided by an employer: the trade unions in Finland have proposed that occupational health services for the temporary workers should be protected by law. The base for the long career is created at young age. If in the early stages of employee’s career she or he is ill-treated and is not entitled to health care, it does not bode well for the well-being at work and career.

Fixed term employment contracts are a huge injustice in the public sector that is mainly occupied by women. In the last reform of the Employment Contracts Act there was an aim to improve the position of women in the labor market (in Finnish, työmarkkina). In the law-drafting of the attention was drawn to the criteria of so-called atypical forms of employment relations. Still, in practice, it is relatively easy to use short term contracts against the law. The use of fixed term employment contract is legally permitted only if certain criteria are met. Between permitted and prohibited situations there remains a gray area, where no actual reasons for the use of fixed term contract exist.

Studies have proven that the temporary fixed term contracts are used more in Finland than European average. Trade unions (in Finnish, ay-liike) believe that the employee protection referred in the law is often not realized because of the employee does not dare or does not want to jeopardize the potential work relation with the employer. Periodicity is thus described as a kind of continuous trial period, during which the following precedence is redeemed.

Anything that would equalize the fixed term and permanent work career should be supported in order to provide more healthy and certain situation.

European Trade Union Confederation demands work, equality and fairness

European trade unions met in May 2001 in Athens for the European Trade Union Confederation Congress. This meeting is held every four years; this year, the most important issues that were discussed in the congress were economical and employment crisis management.

The main demand from ETUC was to develop European labor (in Finnish, työmarkkina) to the direction which takes into account the employees and the social justice. Even the Europe is in the middle of economical crises, ETUC would like to see the ways of surviving that would combine both the employees (in Finnish, palkansaaja) well being and economical competitiveness.

The ETUC has not welcomed the cutting policy that has been managed by European Commission and practised by European governments. These trade unions believe that the current movement will endanger the wages, public services and workers' rights. The debate has been especially heated related to the fresh initiative that would impose wage and collective bargaining under the watchful eye of European Commission.

Additional to the big discussion related to the economy, employment, and the regulation of markets, the topics included following: labor mobility, sustainable development and social dialogue between employees and employers. The new secretary general, the secretariat and the government for ETUC were elected in the congress also.

ETUC is the highest decision-making body of European trade union movement, which determines the strategy for the employee parties and action plan for the coming years.

Founded in 1973, the ETUC consists of 83 European confederations of workers from 36 countries and 12 sector-specific European Union. The ETUC member organizations are representing around 60 million workers in Europe.

Guide to salary discussions for managers and employees published in Finland

European trade unions met in May 2001 in Athens for the European Trade Union Confederation Congress. This meeting is held every four years; this year, the most important issues that were discussed in the congress were economical and employment crisis management.

The main demand from ETUC was to develop European labor (in Finnish, työmarkkina) to the direction which takes into account the employees and the social justice. Even the Europe is in the middle of economical crises, ETUC would like to see the ways of surviving that would combine both the employees (in Finnish, palkansaaja) well being and economical competitiveness.

The ETUC has not welcomed the cutting policy that has been managed by European Commission and practised by European governments. These trade unions believe that the current movement will endanger the wages, public services and workers' rights. The debate has been especially heated related to the fresh initiative that would impose wage and collective bargaining under the watchful eye of European Commission.

Additional to the big discussion related to the economy, employment, and the regulation of markets, the topics included following: labor mobility, sustainable development and social dialogue between employees and employers. The new secretary general, the secretariat and the government for ETUC were elected in the congress also.

ETUC is the highest decision-making body of European trade union movement, which determines the strategy for the employee parties and action plan for the coming years.

Founded in 1973, the ETUC consists of 83 European confederations of workers from 36 countries and 12 sector-specific European Union. The ETUC member organizations are representing around 60 million workers in Europe.

Is a temporary worker equal?

Temporary work is getting more and more popular in Finland, but is the temporary worker equal compared to permanent workers in a workplace?

A study about temporary work was done in April 2011 by the Finnish Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees ERTO, an organization for employees (in Finnish, palkansaaja) working in expert positions in the private service sector. The questionnaire was sent to members of ERTO: 305 members replied, from which 59 % were women. Under 25 years old respondents were the majority.

According to the study, most of the temporary workers felt that they belonged to their working community and were part of it. Bad experiences existed also: in some places, temporary workers were treated like lower class citizens or robots, as one of the respondents described.

Inequality comes often from the fact that temporary workers do not have the same benefits as permanent workers. They do not get the possibility to be a part of the company bonus system or have performance based wage; the salary might be lower than permanent workers have, and employee benefits might not be given to temporary workers. Some of the respondents said that they were excluded from company supported training and education courses, company info sessions, even from company parties.

As long as temporary workers do not get the same benefits as permanent workers, the image of temporary work will not get any better. Temporary workers bring flexibility to employers for example at times when more staff is needed for a certain amount of time; temporary workers are also a great way to conclude unfinished projects and tasks that are waiting to be done. In the long run, more equal positioning of temporary workers would serve employers benefits as well, as the need for temporary workers is getting bigger and bigger all the time.

Temp worker – the possibility to customize your work

Temporary work may give the possibility to do work which is customized according to the employee’s needs – but how many temporary workers really see this as an opportunity?

A study by the Finnish Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees ERTO, an organization for employees (in Finnish, palkansaaja) working in expert positions in the private service sector, shows that not too many. According to the study, the two most common reasons for doing temporary work are the need for fast employment and the fact that no other type of work is available. The other given options in the questionnaire that were “I wanted more freedom for my work”, “I wanted to experience different jobs and workplaces”, or “I wanted to foster my career” didn’t get even 1/3 of the answers of the first two mentioned.

Based on this result, it seems that employees do not see temporary work as a possibility, but as a necessity. Temporary work is still considered as the lower option for a permanent work contract. This conclusion is supported by a fact from the study that 74 % of temporary workers would like to have permanent position from their current work place.

But still there are people who can make the most out of the temporary work. Usually these individuals like the possibility to assign their working times according to their needs. Some need time for their studies, some time for travelling, some because they have more flexibility in taking care of their children. Other reasons for valuating temporary work over a permanent position were better earnings and diverse workplaces – some felt that they would get bored staying in the same workplace always.

Based on this study it seems that the status of temporary work is still undervalued. In order to improve the working conditions of temporary workers, one key issue would be to emphasize the positive side of doing temporary work: flexibility and freedom.

The questionnaire for this research was done in April 2011 among the members of ERTO. 305 members replied, from which 59 % were women. 54 % of respondents were under 25 years old, which typically is the age when temporary work is more common.