Talks on new collective agreements for technology industries continued on Sunday, with the Finnish Metalworkers' Union, the Trade Union Pro and the Federation of Finnish Technology at the negotiating table.
Workers from more than 40 companies say they will go on strike on Friday if a satisfactory result is not achieved in the talks. In order to avert the technology industry strike, the negotiating parties are meeting with the National Conciliator on Monday.
Other unions’ collective agreement talks are to start at the beginning of the coming week.
Transport workers join talks
The Transport Workers’ Union (AKT) is to join the talks on Monday, headed by its chair Timo Räty. Though AKT is known for its tough stance in collective bargaining, on Sunday Räty expressed a conciliatory tone regarding the talks ahead.
According to Räty, talks with employers’ representatives should yield indications by the end of November as to whether transport workers can join the framework wage deal or not. At the same time Räty said that it was in the interests of both employees and employers, as well as society in general, that central organisations representing employees make joint labour market decisions.
Issues that Räty feels need to be addressed include rules for subcontracting, driver safety and long working hours.
Transport employers answer the call
The Finnish Employers’ Federation of Road Transport, ALT, is representing employers in the talks. The CEO of the Federation, Hannu Parvela, was hopeful of a positive outcome from the talks. He said that the employers’ side would strive to achieve a framework wage deal within the time set by the central organisations representing employees. Parvela also said that Finland’s difficult economic situation called for all parties to do whatever they could to help.