STTK, Finland's white-collar workers' trade union confederation, proposed in May 1998 that a "Finnish model" for reducing working time should be created before 2000. Other union organisations have greeted this idea with scepticism.
Download article in original language : FI9805162NFI.DOC
STTK, Finland's white-collar workers' trade union confederation, proposed in May 1998 that a "Finnish model" for reducing working time should be created before 2000. Other union organisations have greeted this idea with scepticism.
At a meeting on 7 May 1998, the council of the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (Toimihenkilökeskusjärjestö, STTK) proposed that a "Finnish model" for reducing working time should be created before 2000. STTK thus challenged the other social partners, political decision-makers and state officials to discuss the possibility of a reduction in working hours and its impact on employment. The organisation had earlier proposed a reduction of weekly working time to 35 hours (FI9705114N); in accordance with the recent examples of France and Italy, STTK regards reducing working time significantly in one go as the best way forward. The organisation considers that competitiveness, which guarantees the growth of employment, requires close involvement with developments elsewhere in Europe.
The proposal has met with a sceptical reception among other trade union confederations. It is the members of the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland (Akateemisten Toimihenkilöiden Keskusjärjestö, AKAVA) who work the longest week, and AKAVA's goal is to bring this down to the normal 40-hour level. According to the confederation's secretary general, Risto Piekka, the most central issue has become how overtime working can be restricted and made subject to full remuneration. In this debate, AKAVA supports methods such as long periods of absence (like sabbatical leave), working time banks and job leave rotation (quoted in the Kansan Uutiset newspaper on 14 May).
As for the Central Organisation for Finnish Trade Unions (Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö, SAK), head of department Kirsti Palanko-Laaka sees the setting of common goals for working time reductions as problematic. She justifies this view by quoting a field survey in which attitudes towards hours reductions with a decrease in pay were examined. Some 70% of the respondents opposed the idea, and 80% were satisfied with their present working hours. Ms Palanko-Laaka recalled, however, that the longer-term goal for SAK is an average 30-hour week and compliance with the demand to follow the pace set elsewhere in Europe (Kansan Uutiset, 14 May).
From these statements, it can be concluded that the trade unions cannot agree on reductions in working time and on attempting to reduce unemployment by this means. Furthermore, it is not typical of Finnish industrial relations culture that such a central issue as working hours could be resolved by legislation, and thus Finland will not follow in the footsteps of France (FR9804103F) and Italy (IT9803159N). It remains to be seen how other countries will resolve their questions concerning working time: this may have an impact on the Finnish trade unions' position.
Il-Eurofound jirrakkomanda li din il-pubblikazzjoni tiġi kkwotata kif ġej.
Eurofound (1998), Unions disagree on reductions in working hours, article.
