Social partners issue statement on good working time practices

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In spring 2002, the Finnish national-level social partners issued a joint statement on good working time practices. It states that flexible working hours should be arranged in a way that meets the requirement of markets and customers, while at the same time the individual needs of employees should also be taken into consideration.

In spring 2002, national-level social partner organisations issued a joint statement on good working time practices. The organisations involved were: for the employers - the Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers (Teollisuuden ja Työnantajain Keskusliitto, TT), the Employers' Confederation of Service Industries (Palvelutyönantajat, PT), the Commission for Local Authority Employers (Kunnallinen Työmarkkinalaitos, KT) and the State Employers' Office (Valtion Työmarkkinalaitos, VTML); and, on the trade union side - the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö, SAK), the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (Toimihenkilökeskusjärjestö, STTK) and the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals (Akateemisten Toimihenkilöiden Keskusjärjestö, AKAVA). The statement arises from the remit of a working time group set up in connection with the current national incomes policy agreement (FI0011167F). The group's aim is to encourage workplaces to examine their working time solutions independently.

The social partners' statement affirms that the activities of companies and 'working communities' are being steered increasingly by the expectations of customers and markets. These requirements should be taken into account in questions of working time. At the same time, the individual needs of employees in connection with reconciliation of work and family life must be considered. Additionally, according to the statement, the various aspects of working time protection are important for the health and safety of employees.

The Working Hours Act lays down the maximum working hours of employees (regular working hours of 40 hours per week, with an overtime limit of 138 hours over four months) and sets minimum requirements for rest periods (eg 11 hours per day or 35 hours per week). However, the Act gives possibilities of deviating from these regulations at the workplace level or through collective agreements. These exceptions have become more common since the 1990s, with companies starting to use the Act's local-level agreement model (FI9803153F). According to the law, the employer has the obligation to register all hours of work and overtime.

Working time arrangements have diverged between different sectors. The framework set by legislation and collective agreements gives an opportunity to deviate from the legislation - depending on the needs of 'working communities', and on their preparedness and willingness to agree on diverse working time arrangements. In their joint statement, the social partners highlight the solutions reached at company and local level, which aim to adjust to the needs of both company and employees. The functional needs of the company are steered by market pressures but, according to the statement, working time solutions also have a central role in the reconciliation of work and family life. It ought to be possible to change working time according to the needs of companies and employees.

The purpose of the statement is to stimulate increased discussion between employers and employees concerning potential ways to develop working time. The central social partners put forward their joint view that such dialogue should be part of the normal cooperation at the workplaces, helping to find new working arrangements and to solve possible problems. The statement thus reinforces the trend towards local-level agreements in Finland, which started after the recession of the early 1990s.