Major consolidation of unions taking place

Trade unions are going through a period of consolidation and merger in Finland. In May-July 2004, several new developments took place in this unification process, including the merger of the Chemical Workers' Union and the Textile and Garment Workers' Union.

A merger of the Chemical Workers' Union (Kemianliitto) and the Textile and Garment Workers' Union (Tekstiili- ja vaatetustyöväen liitto, Teva) that had been planned for three and a half years (FI0204102N) finally materialised in May 2004. The delegates of the two unions - both blue-collar affiliates of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö, SAK) - formed a new council and Timo Vallittu, head of Kemianliitto since 1996, was chosen by the council to also take the chair of the new organisation, which will retain the name of the Chemical Workers' Union.

Another recent union reorganisation is in the communications industry. At the beginning of July 2004, the Communications Union (Suomen tietoliikenneliitto, TLL) changed affiliation from the Confederation of State Employees' Unions (Palkansaajajärjestö Pardia) to the Union of Salaried Employees (Toimihenkilöunioni, TU), both members of the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (Toimihenkilökeskusjärjestö, STTK). This move brought 6,500 new members to TU, which now groups almost all white-collar employees in the communications sector. TU is the largest affiliate of STTK and was itself formed by a merger of several unions in 2001 (FI0106189N).

In May 2004, speculation emerged over a merger of TU, the Finnish Metalworkers' Union (Metallityöväen Liitto, Metalli) and the Finnish Electrical Workers' Union (Sähköliitto) to create the largest union in Finland. The chairs of TU and Metalli expressed their support for the idea but the chair of Sähköliitto did not see the need for a merger at present.

A large-scale merger that is set to take place is that of six blue-collar public sector trade unions affiliated to SAK. The decision to join forces was taken in spring 2003 (FI0402201N) and, it is planned, will be effected in the beginning of 2006. Some functions will, however, be united prior to this. For example, a joint bargaining organisation for private welfare services will be established in time for the next incomes policy negotiations, which will take place later in 2004. The merger process moved one step forward in June 2004 when the six unions signed a letter of intent on the founding of the new organisation. The new union will be one of the biggest in Finland with close to 250,000 members. The parties involved in the merger are

• the Trade Union for the Municipal Sector (Kunta-alan ammattiliitto, KTV);

• the Finnish National Union of State Employees and Special Services (Valtion ja erityispalvelujen ammattiliitto, VAL);

• the Organisation of State Employees (Valtion yhteisjärjestö, VTY);

• the Finnish Customs Officers' Union (Tulliliitto);

• the Finnish Prison Officers' Union (Vankilavirkailijoiden liitto); and

• the Coastguard Union (Merivartioliitto).

The consolidation of trade unions has been an ongoing trend in Finland in recent years. The current acceleration of this process can be partly explained by the merger of the country’s two main employers’ confederations, the Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers (Teollisuuden ja Työnantajain Keskusliitto, TT) and the Employers’ Confederation of Service Industries (Palvelutyönantajat, PT) (FI0403201N). Their unification has been going forward as planned; the founding charter of the new central organisation, Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto, EK), was signed in May 2004 and all 41 affiliates of the two organisations decided to take part in it. Leif Fagernäs was appointed director general and has already started in the position, although formally EK will not begin operations until January 2005.