Slovak Republic, Finland

In the light of the Vaxholm case in Sweden [read more at > EPSU->http://www.epsu.org/a/1489], the Finnish president has confirmed her support for the maintenance of an industrial relations system based on collective agreements. This comes shortly after an important court victory for the Finnish transport union, FSU, when a London court confirmed their right to take strike action to defend their pay and conditions. The union had taken action in protest at plans by the Viking Line shipping company to reflag its ferry Rosella to Estonia so it could employ an Estonian crew on much lower pay. The

A new collective agreement running for 12 months from 1 January 2006 provides for a 5% increase in pay for civil servants. It also allows from some local negotiations, particularly on working time so that it is possible to cut the standard 40-hour working week by up to 2½ hours. Longer paid leave can also be negotiated at local level. [Read more at > EIRO->http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2006/02/inbrief/sk0602101n.html] Meanwhile the 300,000 public sector employees who don't have civil service status should see an increase in basic pay of 6% from 1 July. [Read more at > EIRO->http://www.eiro

The two-and-a-half-year national pay agreement signed at the end of 2004 includes a provision for pay increases in 2006 to benefit the low paid and women workers in particular. On average rises for all workers should work out at 2.5% in 2005 and 2.1% in 2006. But higher increases for the low paid in 2005 and the 0.3% equality supplement for 2006 mean that over the course of the agreement workers in the cleaning sector, for example, should see pay rise by 5.1% while increases in the technology sector will be around 4.5%. EIRO also reports that around two-thirds of public sector workers are now

Prison guards and other personnel took three hours of strike action on 18 May in protest at government plans to cut personnel by over 10%. They are particularly concerned about the health and safety implications of the job cuts.