The main public sector union, JHL, reports that unions in the municipal sector are willing to get involved in negotiations on a new framework agreement. Although the national agreement doesn't expire until October or even early 2014 in some parts of the public sector, JHL says that early negotiations may be important in order to facilitate local government reform with the government aiming to merge some municipalities. But any new agreement would have to take account of the fact that public sector pay has fallen back and to address the particular problems facing workers in the sector where there have been attempts for force temporary lay-offs.
[Read more at > JHL (EN)->http://www.jhl.fi/portal/en/news/archive/?bid=2670}
Municipal unions open to negotiations
More like this
Negotiations open with massive gap between government and unions
The SINTAP public service trade union reported on its first meeting with the government over the 2010 negotiations, saying that there is an enormous gap between union demands and what’s on offer from the government. The union rejects the idea of a pay freeze, arguing that more efficient management can deliver cost savings to finance a pay rise. It also rejects the planned reforms to the pension system . Read more at > SINTAP (PT)
Municipal negotiations stalled
After the sixth round of bargaining the negotiations over a new collective agreement for 160000 municipal workers have stalled. The FNV public service union is now reflecting on what steps to take and whether to organise any protest action. The union is bitterly disappointed by the VNG employer organisation's refusal to consider a health and wellbeing policy for the sector and its wholly inadequate pay offer. The FNV says that the latest offer of 4.9% is less than 2.5% over the proposed two-year agreement and so below the current inflation rate of 3%.The union argues that municipal workers