The right-wing government led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) aims to make it easier for employers to dismiss workers, but the main blue-collar labour confederation warns that could run afoul of international labour treaties.
In its programme issued just over a month ago, the government said that "the regulation on the grounds for termination of a person will be amended so that in future, terminating an employment contract based on proper grounds would be sufficient".
Such a weakening of employees' protection against dismissal goes against international agreements, according to Anu-Tuija Lehto, Legal Adviser to the Central Association of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK).
Under current Finnish law, an employer cannot terminate an employment contract without a "valid and compelling reason".
SAK cites ILO and European agreements
In a statement published on the SAK website on Monday, Lehto said that such a change is not possible according to international agreements that bind Finland or the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Lehto noted that under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions, management must have a valid basis for any dismissal. She also pointed out that the Council of Europe's Revised European Social Charter stipulates that the European laws must protect everyone from unjustified dismissal.
"The agreements do not specify in detail how 'unreasonableness' is defined and how it should be evaluated in individual cases. Under the Finnish Employment Contracts Act, the issue must be resolved through an overall consideration in which a proper, compelling reason is always required, whether the [proposed] termination is based on financial, production-related or personal reasons," explained Lehto.