The stakeholder argued that the national system of inter-organizational consultation has proved incapable of taking into account the different needs of companies in different market and economic situations, operating environments and individual production facilities.
Hämälä said that the group will abandon the negotiation process and transfer responsibility for terminating employment conditions to companies and their employees throughout Finland. Thus, employers and employees can agree not only on the development of operations but also on salaries, shifts and all terms and conditions of employment without legal restrictions.
The aim is also to increase the dialogue between companies and their employees.
The decision will enter into force after a transitional period of 15-27 months to allow companies and employees to prepare for it. Companies in the industry base their own negotiation practices according to their needs according to Hämälä.
The Finnish forest industry will take care of any obligations in the current collective agreements until their expiry.
“We respect the right of trade unions to enter into agreements and organize according to their own needs,” Hämälä emphasized.
The announcement provoked immediate criticism from the Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP). Marin on Twitter revealed that he recently sat together with representatives of the Finnish forest industry and the Paper Workers’ Union.
“Last week I met Petri Vanhala from the Paper Workers Union,” he said. “Based on this meeting, I was optimistic that we are finding a spirit of real cooperation in the name of our country in the midst of this crisis. The message from the Finnish forest industry tells a completely different story.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: New Finland
Source: The Nordic Page