The Association of Finnish Lawyers has rejected the new national incomes policy agreement, which was approved by AKAVA, the confederation to which it belongs, on 12 December 1997. The Association believes that pay for state lawyers is well below that for equal work in the private sector
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The Association of Finnish Lawyers has rejected the new national incomes policy agreement, which was approved by AKAVA, the confederation to which it belongs, on 12 December 1997. The Association believes that pay for state lawyers is well below that for equal work in the private sector
The Association of Finnish Lawyers (Suomen Lakimiesliitto, SLML) has rejected Finland's new national incomes policy agreement, which was approved by the union confederation of which it is a member - the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (Akateemisten Toimihenkilöiden Keskusjärjestö, AKAVA) - on 12 December 1997 (FI9801145F). The Association is trying to reach a better agreement on pay through direct negotiations with the relevant employers' body, the State Employers' Office (Valtion Työmarkkinalaitos, VTML). The lawyers (who include judges) are aiming to negotiate a result over January-February 1998, which should enable them to the become a party to the incomes policy agreement. The aim is that court judges would enter new wage grades, and the rest of the state lawyers would receive contractual raises according to the incomes policy agreement.
The employment relationship for lawyers in the public sector is regulated by the collective agreement on civil servants' salaries. This covers about 3,500 members of the SLML, of whom 1,500 serve the Finnish court system. The negotiations concern all the lawyers under this collective agreement, and the central issue has been the adjustment of judges' pay. The Association finds pay development to be weak in comparison with the private sector.
The court judges are demanding a raise in line with four wage grades - ranging from FIM 442 to FIM 4,189 a month depending on the grade. At the time of writing, there is a wide gap between the views of the Association and those of VTML. A delegation of lawyers is due to be convened to discuss the possible negotiation result on 26 January 1998, when further action is to be decided. A possible strike would mainly involve the lawyers who are in the court service. The Finnish court system includes the Local Courts, the Court of Appeal, the County Administrative Court and the Special Courts, as well as the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. In the case of the latter two, a strike would concern only lawyers who can introduce cases, because the salaries of justices of the Supreme Court and those of the Supreme Administrative Court are laid down by law.
In the event that the negotiations do not result in a peaceful solution, it is likely that the first strike by Finnish court judges would start after mid-February. The employers consider the probability of a strike as a severe prospect. The government's financial capacity to concede to the union's demands is very limited.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1998), Lawyers reject incomes policy agreement, article.
