Last agreements in bargaining round signed following disputes

In March and April 2003, new collective agreements were signed in Finland for the food industry, cargo and passenger ships operating in foreign traffic, and forestry experts. The agreements were reached after difficult negotiations, which involved industrial action on both the employees’ and employers’ side. With these agreements, the spring 2003 bargaining round for the major sectors of the economy is now complete.

Since the centralised incomes policy agreement for 2003-4 was signed in November 2002 (FI0211102F), trade unions that decided not to participate in this agreement have been involved in negotiations with their respective employers’ organisations to reach collective agreements for the coming period. During the first months of 2003, a large number of new agreements were signed (FI0302101N and FI0303202N). Bargaining in the remaining sectors has been difficult and involved industrial action on both the employees’ and employers’ side.

On 12 March 2003, the Finnish Seafarers’ Union (Suomen Merimies-Unioni, SM-U) signed a collective agreement with the Finnish Shipowners’ Association (Suomen varustamoyhdistys) and Aland Shipowners’ Association (Ålands Redarförening) for employees in cargo and passenger ships operating in foreign traffic. The agreement covers the period from 1 March 2003 to 28 February 2005. Negotiations over this agreement were difficult and involved a strike threat by SM-U that was due to start from 1 March. The strike would have involved 7,000 members of SM-U. The Ministry of Labour postponed the start of the strike by two weeks to 15 March. The parties then accepted a National Conciliator’s proposal for a two-year agreement just a few days before the strike was due. The wage increases exceed somewhat the minimum increases negotiated in the centralised incomes policy agreement.

On 8 April 2003, the Forestry Experts’ Association (Metsäalan asiantuntijat, METO) and the Employers’ Association for Transport and Special Services (Liikenne- ja Erityisalojen Työnantajat, LTY) signed a two-year collective agreement for 250 forestry experts working in the state enterprise Metsähallitus. Negotiations over this agreement lasted a long time and involved industrial action on both sides. To support its demands, METO started a strike on 20 February, and LTY responded by announcing a lock-out from 21 February onwards. The strike and lock-out ended on 8 April, when the collective agreement was signed. According to the agreement, from 8 April 2003 onwards the general wage increase is 3.1% and from 1 March 2004 onwards 2.4%. In addition, wage limits for different job requirement levels are lifted by 3.1%-4.1% from 1 April 2003 onwards and by 2.4% from 1 March 2004 onwards.

On 10 April 2003, the Food Workers’ Union (Suomen Elintarviketyöläisten Liitto, SEL) and the Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation (Elintarviketeollisuusliitto, ETL) signed a four-year collective agreement. The exceptionally long-running agreement covers 28,000 employees. The previous contract period for the food industry ended at the end of February 2003. To apply pressure in the difficult negotiations, SEL declared an overtime ban from 1 March 2003. According to the new agreement the general wage increase in 2003 is EUR 0.26 per hour or EUR 44 per month, or at least 2.7%. In 2004 the general wage increase is EUR 0.20 per hour or EUR 34 per month, or at least 2.2%. For 2005 and 2006 wage increases are to be agreed separately. This agreement completes the bargaining round for the major sectors of the economy.