Afghanistan, 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

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.

A survey of working conditions in Finland by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions reveals that conditions are toughest in the local government sector. It showed the highest level of workers regarding their job as mentally (71%) or physically demanding (47%) compared to the overall figures of 58% and 38%. Municipal workers were also the most likely to have been subject to violence or the threat of violence over the previous 12 months (23% several times and 11% at least once) compared to the overall figures of 10% and 8%. [Read more at > European

A survey by the JHL public sector trade union found that most people thought that public sector workers in a range of low-paid occupations were underpaid. The 10 occupations used in the survey were mainly those where the majority of workers are women and the survey supported an average pay rise of €217 for these workers. Actual figures for basic pay and average pay for these workers revealed that most relied on large amounts of additional pay to supplement basic pay, with additional pay the equivalent of 30% of basic pay in the case of nurses. [Read more at > Trade Union News (EN)->http://www

Trade union news reports the latest figures for minimum wages across Finland. These are the minimum rates set in sectoral agreements. In the municipal sector the minimum is €8.19 while in health and social services it is €9.00. This compares to rates in other sectors such as €7.45 in the electronics industry. Workers not covered by collective agreements are given some protection through legislation and an effective minimum wage of €6.00. The next bargaining round will get underway with soon with the national agreement and most sectoral agreements running out on 30 September 2007. Unions are