The legislative change planned by Orpo’s Government would mean that in the event of industrial action, the employer would have too much discretion over the amount of protective work. This translates into an unsurpassed advantage over the employee side in collective agreement negotiations.
Protective work refers to work that must be carried out during industrial action in order to prevent danger to the life or health of citizens or to protect property that is specifically endangered by the industrial action.
The right to take industrial action is a fundamental and human right protected by international conventions. It must not be tampered with through these national legislative changes planned by Orpo.
–With this law, Finland would take a very long and sad step away from the core of Western European rule of law that respects human rights. No other W estern country has similar general regulations for protective work. It simply will not work in practice, says Millariikka Rytkönen, President of Tehy.
Rytkönen points out that in trying to regulate all jobs in all sectors, the Finnish Government is imposing regulations that do not work for any sector.
–There is no way to regulate in a way that takes into account the needs of all different types of workplaces and protective work in different sectors. That is another reason why this law must not be enacted, says Rytkönen.
At the same time, Petteri Orpo’s Government is promoting a number of other measures to weaken the position of Finnish employees, such as the pay gap act, which ties the hands of the conciliator. If the Government manages to pass the changes it is promoting already during this round of collective agreement negotiations, employees will have to negotiate with employers in vastly divergent circumstances, depending on whether negotiations start before or after the new legislation comes into force.
– It is entirely inappropriate to change the rules of the game in the middle of a round of negotiations, Rytkönen stresses.
Enquiries:
Advocacy Director Else-Mai Kirvesniemi, tel. +358 50 346 0847,
[email protected]