Lobbying

Additional information for responding to the labour market survey

In the labour market survey form, we ask respondents to share their views on the advocacy work of the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, including potential goals and legislative changes. Below you will find additional information to support your response.

Regarding the potential objectives

Reform of the Annual Holidays Act

In the current Annual Holidays Act, Saturday is counted as a working day when calculating annual holiday. In other words, a holiday week is one day longer than a five-day working week, which means that one day of holiday per week is, in a way, wasted in the Annual Holidays Act. This can be corrected by excluding a Saturday from the holiday calculation or by adding one week of holiday to the holiday entitlement.

New employees do not receive a full annual holiday accumulation per month for the first (not full) holiday accumulation year. We propose that the holiday accumulation in the Annual Holidays Act be a “full” 2.5 days per month from the start of the employment relationship.

Right to legal proceedings in working life

Unlike, for example, in consumer protection matters, it is not currently possible to file a collective action in working life matters. In other words, if the rights of several employees have been violated in the same way at one workplace, everyone has to file their own action. Collective action could be used to improve the efficiency of correcting blatant offenses.

In some cases, people are so afraid of their employer, becoming marked or other related matters that they do not take action against their employer even with the support of the union. If the unions had the right to take action, they could take action on behalf of all employees who have been subjected to violations.

Highest university degree also for universities of applied sciences

At the moment, universities of applied sciences offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees (e.g. bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering).

You can only complete the highest degree (doctorate) at a university. There is a need to increase working life-oriented research in Finland, which requires more researchers. The possibility to complete a doctoral degree is a way to increase working life-oriented research in Finland. The aim is not to compete with universities, but to follow the same working life orientation as other degree levels. This would also improve the equality of higher education systems.

Reforming the Earnings-Related Allowance for it to be career-based

The Earnings-related Allowance has undergone major reforms in recent years. The system is still subject to pressure to be changed.

The proposal on the career-based nature of earnings-related allowance means that the person is entitled to unemployment benefits for a longer time when the years of employment accrue. Statistically, it is easier to find a new job at the beginning of an employee’s career than at the other end of it. It is, therefore, justified that the unemployment benefits are available for a longer time, based on the growing number of years of employment.

Making agreeing on remote work equal

Working remotely is currently causing ambiguities and conflicts at workplaces. In many companies, the situation is in order and agreements work, but in others, employers have unilaterally changed practices. There is talk about the need to return to the office and so on.

Things are in order when they are agreed upon between the employees and the employer. Equality means that everyone has the same opportunity to participate in agreeing on these matters. This can be achieved by making a law on remote work, which guides agreements on the amount of remote work, tools, commuting and other matters related to remote work.

The regulation would not be prescriptive, but would act as an obligatory framework for managing agreements. This would strengthen the employees’ ability to influence the time and place of work.

Reforming the system of arbitration of labour disputes

The negotiation rounds for the reformation of collective agreements have become more difficult and extended. One way to improve the situation is to renew the mechanism for arbitration of disputes.

Currently, there is one full-time National Conciliator in the country, who cannot know all industries and sectors in the same way. By increasing the number of conciliators, the expertise of conciliation would increase and they would have the opportunity to contact the contracting parties even during the validity of the agreements, which would probably reduce the likelihood of labor disputes.

At the same time, conflict resolvement should be enhanced by other means, such as the obligation to submit a proposal for settlement and the obligation for all parties to continue the conciliation process after rejected proposals. The financial knowledge base of negotiations should also be strengthened by setting up an office in connection with the conciliation office that would produce joint financial information to support the negotiations.

Reforming the Occupational Safety and Health Act to take into account the risks of expert work

The Occupational Safety and Health Act takes the risks of physical occupational safety well into account. It does not recognize the workload of expert work equally well. To ensure better well-being at work and occupational safety, psychosocial workload should be recorded in the Act, which would give occupational safety and health work better opportunities to address the workload of expert work.

Priority of interpretation for employees

When a labor dispute arises between the employer and the employee (for example, questions like is the salary payment in order or a dismissal legal), it will eventually proceed to court if the matter is not resolved. In Finland, the employer’s position is valid until the matter has been resolved in court and the decision is in effect.

In Sweden, for example, the opposite is true: the employee’s/employees’ interpretation is valid until conflict resolvement. Changing the priority of interpretation could increase trust in workplaces and improve the culture of discussion.

Making mathematics a mandatory subject in the matriculation examination

Delays or failure to complete studies in the field of technology are often due to poor mathematical skills. The level of mathematics competence has also declined since primary school. Several means have been tried to rectify the situation. Making mathematics a compulsory subject in the matriculation examination would increase the pressure to invest in the studying and teaching of mathematics.

Changes on this government term

Legally documented export model

The Act on Mediation in Labor Disputes, or in practice the activities of a national conciliator, was amended so that he or she cannot make a proposal for settlement that exceeds the main opening agreement of the export industry. This means that the arbitration of labor disputes will be more rigid and the system will have fewer opportunities to resolve labor disputes than before.

Limited right to industrial action

The social, i.e. political, right to industrial action was limited so that it is possible to arrange a one-day strike for one thing in the future. Previously, this was not limited in any way. The limitation does not apply to industrial action concerning collective agreements. At the same time, support strikes were restricted.

Shortening of change negotiation and lay-off notice periods

The legislation has reduced the change negotiation times by half, i.e. in practice to three weeks or seven days, depending on the subject of the negotiations. If the collective agreement contains provisions that deviate from the law, the collective agreement shall continue to apply. In practice, shortening the negotiation times means that any dismissal or lay-off will be targeted at the employee earlier than now and the employee will lose their salary for the lost time.

Deletion of the exempt amount from unemployment benefits

The unemployment benefit has included an exempt amount of EUR 300. The unemployed person has been allowed to earn this amount without it reducing the unemployment benefit. After the deletion, additional earnings will immediately lower the unemployment benefit. This may affect the willingness to accept short-term or part-time work.

Staggering of the earnings-related allowance

During this government term, the earnings-related allowance has been staggered so that earnings-related allowance decreases as unemployment lasts longer. The daily allowance is reduced in two phases: To 80 percent of the original after 40 payment days and to 75 percent after 170 payment days. This reduces the level of unemployment security, i.e. it means a cut in the unemployed person’s income.

Loosening regulations of local bargaining

The legislation on local bargaining has been amended so that even non-organized employers have the opportunity to deviate from the legislation or collective agreements by means of local agreements. Previously, this option was only available to employers who belong to an employers’ federation. At the same time, non-contractual representatives of the personnel were given the opportunity to act as contracting parties. This may weaken the universally binding collective bargaining system as the incentives to organize decrease. This can affect what is agreed upon and how.

Deletion of adult education allowance

The adult education allowance is a discontinued social allowance that was paid to employees and entrepreneurs for voluntary vocational training during their careers. The allowance was granted for a maximum of 15 months, and it required a work history of at least eight years and, often, taking study leave or similar. The adult education allowance enabled employees to study new degrees and supported continuous learning and the updating of competence.

Facilitating dismissal on personal grounds (under preparation)

This autumn, Parliament will receive a proposal to lower the threshold for dismissal on personal grounds. We will only know what the impact will be once the law has been finally approved, but the declared goal is to make it easier to dismiss an individual employee.

Entering into fixed-term employment relationships without a reason (in preparation)