Industrial action has been suspended for the time being

The Executive Board of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) Directors has considered the proposal by the Government led by Juha Sipilä (Centre Party) for resolving the dispute on employment protection legislation. SAK’s Executive Board did not accept the proposal as it stands and insists that the grounds for the new legal provisions on employment protection should be discussed in tripartite negotiations.

The proposal by Sipilä’s Government and those of SAK have now been forwarded to the member unions for consideration and approval by their governing bodies.

Due to this decision, the Industrial Union will, for the time being, suspend all industrial action. Accordingly, on Friday the Board of the Industrial Union also decided to suspend its industrial action for the time being.

The ongoing strike in the timber and special sectors will end at 6am on Saturday 27 October, or whenever possible thereafter. Information on the end of the strike and return to work has been sent to the shop stewards of the workplaces participating in the strike.

All collective action planned for the coming weeks 44 and 45 will also be suspended for the time being.

The Board of the Industrial Union will convene on Tuesday 30 October to consider the new proposal from the Sipilä Government, and SAK’s proposal.

In addition to SAK’s wish for a tripartite approach to preparing the grounds of the legislative proposal, it demands that the grounds for inappropriate dismissal laid down in the Employment Contracts Act be retained as they stand.

As well as changes to the grounds for individual dismissals, the Sipilä Government proposed a reduction in the quarantine period following dismissal. In situations in which the employer has decided to end an employment relationship on grounds related to the employee, the quarantine period would be shorted from 90 days to 60. This would apply to employees working in companies of all sizes.

In its proposal, the Sipilä Government also promised to begin redrafting the activation model for unemployed persons on a tripartite basis with the trade unions. The preparation of a voluntary job-seeking model would also be continued on a tripartite basis, in order to realise the obligation-based nature of unemployment benefit, during the changeover to the provincial model. The deadline for the preparation work is 28 February 2019.