Finland
The new two-year agreement covering municipal workers includes 0.8% increase this month for certain groups of workers such as those in catering, cleaning, social care and childcare and then 0.7% to be allocated at local level in September. Unions had wanted to make some progress on parental leave and to place limits on the use of fixed-term workers but these were not part of the agreement. The deal has still to be approved by union members.
Read more at > JHL (EN)
Trade unions preparing for pay negotiations in the local government sector are looking to secure a real pay increase for all workers. Their other key aims include higher increases for lower paid workers and action to reduce the gender pay gap with workers in sectors dominated by women particularly targeted. The unions argue that with unemployment down municipal workers should benefit from positive economic developments. They also want to see a proper recognition of skills and competences noting that there is a shortage of staff in some occupations and that in recent years some categories of
Researchers, equality experts and even government officials have acknowledged the difficulties in closing the gender pay gap in Estonia. While equality legislation exists, the difficulty is in implementing it and the challenge facing women who want to pursue an equal pay case. The equality commissioner says that only five women have made an official complaint under the legislation in the last seven years despite the scale of the gender pay gap in the country. Read more at > Baltic Times news website (EN)
