Katja Leppänen, Senior Legal Adviser to EK, said Helsingin Sanomat before the meeting in which he does not participate. The decision not to do so, he added, is unprecedented in his nearly 20-year career in business.
“At least I’m not aware that we’ve never left a tripartite working group among us before,” he told the daily.
He said the EK decided to abandon the working group to oppose the approach of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The ministry, he explained, has violated the principles of tripartite legislative cooperation by failing to allow the working group to examine the matter at hand and weigh various options.
“[I]t has in fact made a decision in advance. The social partners are only approving the decision made by the ministry, and we do not agree to take part in such a disguise. “
In its action plan, the government has committed itself to promoting the “elimination of unjustified pay gaps and pay gaps” by adopting statutory measures to improve wage transparency.
According to Helsingin Sanomat, trade unions are more satisfied with the goal than employers’ organizations. Chief shop stewards already have the power to request an investigation into suspected pay discrimination, but the under-utilization of the opportunity has been interpreted as evidence of the need for greater pay transparency.
EK is not completely opposed to increasing transparency, Leppänen emphasized.
“The working group has not had any real discussions about the tools. At its second meeting, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health presented the legislative clause it had drafted in order to radically increase the transparency of wage data. [Its] the attitude is that the matter has been thoroughly investigated. We disagree, ”he said.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page