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09.12.2024 11:32

How to build trust and cooperation? Experienced collective agreement negotiators in the commerce sector have the answer

Collective agreement negotiations are complex processes that deal with wages, working hours and other terms and conditions that affect the employees’ everyday life.

Kaksi miestä katsovat kameraan

PAM’s Jyrki Sinkkonen and the Finnish Commerce Federation’s Chief Labour Market Specialist Antti Huotilainen have been involved in several collective agreement negotiations, and they know that a result that is acceptable to both parties requires a lot of work.

In the coming months, Sinkkonen and Huotilainen will spend hundreds of hours at the negotiating table, going through demanding set of questions. Negotiations can often be difficult and require compromises.

How do you maintain a good negotiation culture?

− The most important thing for me is that both parties genuinely try to understand where the other one comes from. We may have opposing goals and even fundamental differences of opinion on some issues. Nevertheless, finding common solutions by coordinating interests is often possible, even if the situation may initially seem desperate. This requires patience and a solution-oriented approach, reflects Huotilainen.

− Trust is really important – if you lose it, it is very difficult to restore. We must dare to put difficult issues on the table in time so that the situation does not escalate, Sinkkonen continues.  

How do you ensure that the dialogue remains open in the negotiations?

−You must be prepared to have discussions through questions and understand that not all your goals are feasible as such. Our job as a negotiator is to find tools and solutions so that we can coordinate goals and wishes and take them forward, answers Huotilainen.  

Both negotiators emphasize that negotiators represent their respective organizations at the negotiating table. There are different interests and disagreements, but there is no reason to be offended by them.  

− We need to have natural cooperation and honest discussions. We are both servants of our own organizations, and you can try to pull a fast one only once, so it is not worth it, says Sinkkonen.  

What are the most important lessons learned from the previous negotiations?

− What we have learned from the past is that preparation makes perfect. Nothing extraordinary is achieved if there is a constant sense of urgency, and that is why continuous dialogue and teamwork are of great importance, Huotilainen says.  

− I agree. Courage is also needed – we need to bring new ideas and solutions to the table, even though they may seem risky at first, Sinkkonen adds.  

Text: Minna Räsänen

Keywords:

collective bargaining commerce sector

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