Labor market activities

The goal of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland’s labor market activities and lobbying is a fair and safe working life for its members. This includes improving the employment and professional appreciation of members and promoting equality and non-discrimination in working life.

The salaries and terms and conditions of employment of engineers and other technology professionals are lobbied for in two ways:

1. By negotiating the best possible collective agreements for the members
2. By influencing legislation in matters that are relevant to the lobbying for the members

Collective agreements (incl. those pertaining to civil servants) are at the core of the labor market lobbying. These agreements are negotiated every 1–3 years. By means of agreements, employer and employee organizations agree on sector-specific matters such as salary increases, working hours, holiday bonuses, and pay during sick leave and family leave. In addition to national agreements, employee organizations can negotiate company-specific collective agreements.

The collective agreement to be followed at the workplace depends on the employer’s industry and organization. The employer has the primary right to choose the applicable collective agreement.

A majority of the terms and conditions of employment come from collective agreements.

With regard to the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, collective agreements are mainly negotiated and agreed by using negotiation organizations. In the private sector, the negotiation organization is the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN, and in the public sector, the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO.

Negotiation organizations have their own personnel, but labor market lobbying and negotiations depend on the negotiating organization’s member unions and their personnel, particularly in the private sector. Collective agreements are industry- or company-specific. In the IT service sector, YTN is negotiating a collective agreement for the sector together with Tietoala ry (Association of IT sector Employees), which is part  of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland.

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland is often asked for opinions on legislative proposals concerning working life. In addition to giving statements, the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland influences the working life of engineers and other professionals in the field of technology through its lobbying and research as well as by participating in public debate on working life and terms and conditions of employment.

Lobbying at the workplace and local bargaining

In addition to legislation and collective agreements, the employee’s employment relationship is affected by the employee’s own employment contract and any local agreements concluded at the company’s workplace, which may be at group, company, site or workplace level.

Local bargaining refers to agreements that deviate from the law or the collective agreement. Local bargaining is possible in all companies. As a rule, local agreements are concluded jointly by a representative chosen by the employees and the employer. An employee representative is a shop steward, union steward, elected representative or other person elected for a specific purpose.

As a rule, the employee representative represents the employees covered by the collective agreement at the workplace. Within the limits of the collective agreement, they can agree locally on holiday pay, travel time compensation, and flexible working hours, among other things.

In addition to local bargaining, the shop steward supervises compliance with the collective agreement for employees and officials at the workplace and assists the personnel in matters related to employment relationships.