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Collective bargaining 2024-2025

In collective agreement negotiations PAM and the employers’ associations agree on pay rises and other terms of employment for all workers in PAM’s sectors.

Let’s make everyone’s working conditions better together!

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Strikes and industrial action

PAM negotiates a better working life

We service sector professionals are united our pursuit of a better working life. Now is our time to make a difference – negotiations on collective agreements in the service sectors are underway.

PAM’s goals in this round of negotiations

Wages in the service sectors have not kept up with the rising cost of living, and many workers live in constant uncertainty about their income. Cuts to social security and the increase in value added tax (ALV) have hit low-income earners the hardest, many of whom work in the service sectors.

Fair wages improve purchasing power, providing financial stability. Wage increases in low-wage sectors are spent on living expenses, not savings or investments. These extra earnings go back to businesses and service providers, helping the entire economy grow.

  • We demand wages that improve purchasing power for service sector workers.

Income problems have worsened for service sector professionals working part-time against their will because of cuts in housing allowance and unemployment security. These cuts have especially affected women and families with children.

Involuntary part-time workers have to stay constantly available, hoping for extra hours. Many work two or more jobs. Planning your life and disconnecting from work is difficult.

Involutary part-time work is stressing and not not sustainable for employers either.

  • We demand solutions that lead to more full-time jobs for service sector workers.

Service sector workers are burdened by irregular shifts and night work, which have increased due to extended opening hours. Additional stress comes from fast-paced work, higher skill requirements, and little control over work schedules for example.

Improving work conditions benefits both employees and employers. Healthy workers take fewer sick days and have longer careers. This improves profitability and helps businesses and society facing labour shortages.

  • We seek solutions to reduce the workload for service sector workers. Work at burdensome hours should give same pay but for fewer hours.

Service sector workers need more control over their shifts, work pace, and the development of their workplace. Workers must also have the right to disconnect from work outside working hours.

Having more influence at work and work-life balance is directly linked to better well-being and fewer sick days.

Employee participation also boosts productivity through workplace development and creativity.

  • We demand solutions that give service sector workers more influence over their jobs.

The Government of Petteri Orpo is preparing a change of legislation to weaken protection against dismissal. Currently, the employer must have proper and weighty reason to fire an individual employee. The government wants to change the law so that a proper reason is all that is needed. Additional changes weakening protections are also proposed.

However, it is possible agree in collective agreements to maintain the current dismissal protections.

Insecurity and inequality will increase, if the current level of employee protections against dismissal are not ensured through collective agreements. There would no longer be clarity on the rules and procedures.

Service sector employers often highlight the importance of social responsibility in their business. Low-wage service sector workers already suffer from higher prices, involuntary part-time work with too few working hours, and for example cuts to housing benefit. A socially responsible employer does not increase insecurity by making it easier to fire employees.

PAM wants to ensure, that the rules on dismissals are fair and predictable for all service sector employees in future.

  • We demand in collective agreement negotiations, that current protections against dismissal and clear rules and practices are maintained, even if the law is weakened.

Service sector productivity growth has been slow. Growth in productivity requires investment in both technology and employees’ skills.

Service sector workers are positive about training and are ready to improve their skills. Since funding for vocational training has been cut, training at the workplace and provided by the employer is becoming more important.

Skills development is every worker’s right. Skilled employees are also essential for the productivity and success of companies.

  • We seek the right to support, guidance, and paid training days for all service sector workers to develop their skills.

Negotiations between PAM and the employers association begin when the current agreement period is coming to an end.

First, proposals are gathered from the local union branches before the negotiations start. PAM’s general and sector-specific aims are decided. Pay increases are usually discussed last in negotiations. And in negotiations, nothing is decided until everything is decided.

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, a mediator steps in to help find a solution.

When the agreement period for a collective agreement ends and there is no new agreement yet, there is a period without an agreement (sopimukseton tila). During this time, the terms of the old agreement continue to apply until a new collective agreement is reached.

During this period without an agreement, there is no obligation to maintain industrial peace (työrauha), which means strikes (lakko) and other industrial actions can happen—and the longer this period lasts, the more likely they become.

The final agreement is reached when the governing bodies of both sides approve the negotiation outcome.

Image of negotiation process 1. Workers' needs assessed based on their situation, proposals from local branches and other observations. 2. PAM's aims are prepared by Agreement sector commission and then decided by PAM's Executive Committee. 3. Negotiations are held between PAM and employers' association, both with their own goals and needs, and trying to find a deal both parties can accept. 4. Once a negotiation result has been reached it is reviewed by the agreement sector commission and the PAM's executive Committee either accpets or rejects it. 5. A new collective agreement is signed when both PAM and employers association have accepted a deal. Industrial peace obligation means there's no industrial action about the terms in the agreement.

Read more about negotiations on terms of employment

Agreement sectorAgreement period startedAgreement period endsTermination of agreement
Ski centre1.11.202231.10.2024
31.1.2025*		31.8.2024
Programme services1.11.202231.3.202531.2.2025
Commerce sector1.2.202331.1.202531.12.2024
Retail supervisors1.2.202331.1.202531.12.2024
Bingo21.4.202328.2.202528.12.2024
Movie theaters21.4.202328.2.2025–
Maintenance of appliances and service machines2.5.202328.2.202528.12.2024
Photo producers​2.5.2023​28.2.2025​28.12.2024​
Moving industry​2.5.2023​28.2.2025​28.1.2025​
National Opera and Ballet​18.4.2023​28.2.2025​28.12.2024​
Veikkaus​1.2.202328.2.2025​28.1.2025
Golf​21.4.2023​31.1.202531.12.2024​
Property services ​1.3.2023​31.3.2025 ​28.2.2025​
Private security​1.4.2023​31.3.2025​31.1.2025​
Alko​1.4.202428.2.202528.12.2024​
Customer service and telemarketing2.5.2023​28.2.2025​​28.12.2024
National theater​18.4.2023​28.2.2025​17.1.2025​
Hotel and restaurant employees1.4.2023​31.3.2025​31.1.2025​
Hotel and restaurant supervisors1.4.2023​31.3.2025​31.1.2025​
Avecra Oy, train service personnel​1.4.2023​30.4.2025​28.2.2025​
Amusement, theme and adventure parks1.4.2023​31.3.2025​-​
Pharmacy technicians ​1.5.2023​30.4.2025​30.3.2025​
A collective agreement is negotiated for a specified time period. For negotiations on new terms and pay rises to begin, one of the parties must first terminate the agreement. If no notice of termination is given in accordance with the agreement, the agreement continues, usually for one year at a time.
* PAM and MaRa agreed to extend the ski centre agreement period by three months.

Separate negotiations for each sector

PAM negotiates 33 collective agreements with employers representatives, including the Finnish Commerce Federation, Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, Real Estate Employers, and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Ongoing negotiations

Click to read more about the situation in your sector.

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa for employers.

Status of negotiations

  • Current agreement period ends 31 March 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 6 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends on 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta / Markkinointipalvelujen Työnantajayhdistys ry

Current agreement period ends on 28 February 2025.

Status of negotiations

  • 19 February: PAM announced strikes targeting 6 major companies on 6-7 March. Read more in Finnish or Swedish.
  • 18 February: PAM cut off negotiations because there was no progress.
  • 21 January: Negotiations began

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • Negotiations started on 21 January.
  • Current agreement period ends 31 January 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa for employers.

Status of negotiations

  • 30 March: Negotiation result reached for the collective agreement in the hotel and restaurant sector. Next, the result will be discussed by both organisations’ administrative bodies. PAM will announce its Executive Committee’s decision on Wednesday, April 2. Read more
  • 28 March: The collective agreement negotiations for the hotel and restaurant sector have reached a decisive stage. The negotiators are working intensively to reach an agreement. The negotiations will continue on Sunday, March 30.
  • 24 March: In the collective agreement negotiations for the hospitality and restaurant sector, discussions on text-related objectives continued. The negotiations will resume on Friday 28 March.
  • 20 March: The collective agreement negotiations continued. The negotiating parties will meet again on Monday, March 24.
  • 12 March: Negotiations in the hotel, restaurant and leisure sector continued. Text-related objectives were discussed and wage increases were addressed during the negotiations. The negotiations will resume next Thursday, March 20.
  • 27 February: Negotiations begun and continue 12 March.
  • Current agreement period ends 31 March 2025

Latest news from the sector

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 6 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 13 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 12 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM and Trade Union for Theatre and Media Finland for employees, and for employer The Association of Finnish Theatres.

Status of negotiations

  • Negotiations began on 14 January.
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM and Trade Union for Theatre and Media Finland for employees, and for employer The Association of Finnish Theatres.

Status of negotiations

  • 7 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 14 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Current agreement period ends on 31 March 2025.

Status of negotiations

  • 19 February: Negotiations began. Both sides presented their proposed changes to the collective agreement.

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa for employers.

Status of negotiations

  • 31 March: Negotiation result reached for the adventure services sector. Read more
  • 20 March: Negotiations started. In the first meeting, the goals of both parties were reviewed at a general level.
  • Current agreement period ends 31 March 2025

More news and updates in Finnish

Ajankohtaiset artikkelit ja uutiset

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Real Estate Employers.

Current agreement period ends 31 March 2025.

Status of negotiations

  • 29 March 2025: No resolution yet in property services sector collective agreement negotiations – time is running out before the agreement period ends. Negotiations will continue on Monday, 31 March 2025, the final day of the current agreement period. Read more
  • 27 March 2025: Negotiations continued, and discussions at the table currently include financial matters. The next round of negotiations will take place on Saturday, March 29. Read more
  • 25 March 2025: Negotiations continued. This week, the focus is on the pay rises. Negotiations will resume on Thursday, 27 March.
  • 21 March 2025: Negotiations over a new collective agreement for the property services sector have been active this week.  Some progress has been made on issues important to PAM, but many matters remain unresolved. “As is often said, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”, says PAM’s collective bargaining specialist Kaarina Ahonen. The negotiations will continue next week with several meetings. Read more
  • 14 March 2025: Intensive negotiations in the property services sector this week – important issues for employees on the table. Read more
  • 10 March 2025: Negotiations continued between the parties.
  • 7 March 2025: PAM and Real Estate Employers have continued negotiations on the sector’s collective agreement this week. Difficult issues remain on the table, but the negotiation atmosphere has stayed positive. While challenging issues are under discussion, collective bargaining expert Kaarina Ahonen states that the negotiations have been conducted in good spirits between the parties. “The atmosphere has remained good. At this stage of the negotiations, both parties’ objectives have been thoroughly discussed. This week, the focus has been on working time questions”, Ahonen explains.
  • 19 February 2025: PAM and the Real Estate Employers met in the first negotiation. PAM informed the employers’ association about the termination of the collective agreement for employees in the real estate services sector, which means the current agreement will end at the end of the contract period on March 31, 2025. In the first meeting, the goals of both parties were reviewed at a general level, and the negotiation work will continue according to the agreed schedule.

Latest news from the sector

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM & Electrical Workers´ Union and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • 5 February: Negotiations began
  • Current agreement period ends 28 February 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Upcoming negotiations by sector

Neuvotteluosapuolet: Alkon Liikeväki ALV ry and Service Sector Employers Palta.

Status of negotiations

  • Current agreement valid until 31 March 2025.​

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Service Sector Employers Palta

Status of negotiations

  • Current agreement period ends 30 April 2025

More news and information in Finnish

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM and Pharmacy Employers’ Association Apta.

Status of negotiations

  • Current agreement period ends 30 April 2025​

More news and information in Finnish

Does this menu look good to you?

These are the dishes PAM is demanding for private service sector professionals in the in collective agreement negotiations – served with the right sides.

Download the menu in a printable format

Finalised negotiations

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM and Finnish Commerce Federation for employers.

Collective agreements for

  • commerce sector workers
  • retail supervisors

Status of negotiations

  • 5.3.2025: PAM and Finnish Commerce Federation have approved the negotiation result and the sector has an new collective agreement. The announced strikes and industrial actions are cancelled. Read press release
  • 4.3.2025: PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation, representing employers, have reached a negotiation result in the collective agreement negotiations for employees in the trade sector. After PAM’s trade sector agreement committee has reviewed the result, PAM’s board will discuss it tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5th.
  • 3.3.2025: Service Union United PAM has announced new strikes in commerce sector companies during week 12. PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation will meet with the National Conciliator again tomorrow at 10 AM.
  • 28.2.2025: The Executive Committee of Service Union United PAM decided today that the necessary preconditions to continue collective agreement negotiations in the commerce sector are lacking for now. The Executive Committee also made decisions on industrial action, the details of which will be announced later.
  • 27.2.2025: The mediation of the labor dispute in the commerce sector has continued today under the leadership of the National Conciliator. No negotiation result has been reached. The matter will be revisited again tomorrow.
  • 27.2.2025: Negotiators from PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation met under the mediator’s guidance and continued negotiations late into the evening on Wednesday, February 26. PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation will meet again at the mediator’s office on Thursday, February 27. National Conciliator Anu Sajavaara has continued mediating the labor dispute after the strikes.
  • 24.2.2025: The collective agreement negotiations in the commerce sector continued between PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation. The negotiating parties will meet again on Wednesday, February 26.
  • 21.2.2025: The collective agreement negotiations for the commerce sector will continue on Monday, February 24, between PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation.
  • 18.2.2025: The commerce sector labor dispute has been mediated today. No agreement has been reached. The National Mediator will continue mediating the dispute with PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation on Friday, February 21.
  • 16.2.2025: PAM’s strike begins – mediation in the labour dispute did not produce results. The National Conciliator will meet the negotiating parties again on Tuesday, February 18.
  • 13.2.2025: The National Mediator will continue mediating the dispute with PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation on Sunday, February 16.
  • 13.2.: The mediation in the commerce sector has continued this week. The negotiating parties met earlier in the week and will continue the mediation at the National Conciliator’s office on Thursday, February 13.
  • 4.2.2025: Mediation in the retail sector labor dispute continued today under the leadership of the National Conciliator. Negotiations will resume on Thursday, February 6, and Monday, February 10. In addition, negotiators from PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation will continue working on the situation during the mediation breaks. If no agreement is reached, work stoppages in retail logistics will begin on February 17, and store strikes will start on February 19.
  • 4.2.2025: The mediation of the labor dispute between PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation has started under the leadership of National Conciliator Anu Sajavaara on Monday, February 3, 2024. The mediation will continue this Tuesday afternoon. The progress of the mediation process and its schedule can be followed on the National Conciliator’s official X account.
  • 31.1.2025: We deserve an agreement for a better working life – PAM declares strikes in the commerce sector. Information on the strikes here
  • 30.1.2025: PAM breaks off negotiations on the commerce sector collective agreement. PAM’s Executive Board will meet on Friday, January 31, to assess the situation and consider continuing negotiations or taking other measures.
  • 29.1.2025: Negotiations in the commerce sector have continued this week. The next round of negotiations will take place on Thursday, January 30. Negotiations for the collective agreement of supervisors in retail have also continued and will proceed throughout the week.
  • 24.1.2025: The commerce sector negotiations have continued. The next meeting of the commerce sector’s main negotiating group will take place on Monday, 27 January.
  • 22.1.2025: Negotiations in the commerce sector have continued, with text-related objectives being discussed. The large negotiation group for the commerce sector will next meet on Friday, 24 January, to review the overall situation. Negotiations for supervisors in the retail sector have also proceeded as normal, with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 28 January.
  • 16.1.2025: Working conditions for supervisors in the retail sector were discussed, and text-related objectives were addressed during the negotiations. The negotiations will continue next Tuesday.
  • 15.1.2025: Commerce sector negotiations continued – fair solutions are actively pursue. On Thursday 16th negotiations for collective agreement for retail supervisors will take place.
  • 8.1.2025: Commerce sector collective agreement negotiations began. The negotiations will continue in smaller preparatory groups later this week and early next week.
  • 19.12.2024: PAM and the Finnish Commerce Federation representing employers met for the first time. At the meeting, PAM officially notified the employer representatives of the termination of the commerce sector collective agreement, which means the current agreement will expire on 31 January 2025.

Latest news from the sector

Negotiating parties: Service Union United PAM for employees and Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa for employers.

Status of negotiations

  • A negotiated settlement was reached and approved. Workers get pay rises and a new collective agreement. Read more
  • Strikes were carried out on 3-4 March.
  • Mediation did not lead to result. Strikes will begin on Monday, 3 March. Read more
  • PAM announced strikes for 3-4 March at major ski centres. Read more
  • PAM has declared ban on overtime and shift changes starting 3 February. Read more
  • Collective agreement period ended on 31 January 2025.
  • Negotiations began again on 17 January 2025.
  • After three weeks of negotiations in October and November, PAM and MaRa agreed to extend agreement period by three months.

More news and updates in Finnish here

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