Solutions for the commercial sector are sought in collective bargaining

Collective bargaining often equals escalated situations, such as disputes and strikes. Successes are less often mentioned: issues developed jointly by employers and employees. But these too exist.   

Antti Huotilainen, the Finnish Commerce Federations’s leading labour market expert, and Jyrki Sinkkonen, a contract expert at PAM, say that collective bargaining negotiations often include agreements on development work, which is carried out as a continuous negotiation process throughout the agreement period. In this way, solutions can be found to structural challenges in the sector, such as issues related to salary systems or working time arrangements.

− Looking back, there have been difficult times, such as the effects of the pandemic on the entire commerce sector. Unfortunately, there was no room for a broader renewal of collective agreements at that time. The situation was different in the previous round of collective agreements, and preparations have been made during the current period as well, Huotilainen says.  

Results through cooperation

Both Sinkkonen and Huotilainen are happy to emphasize the importance of continuous development and cooperation. It bears fruit in the collective negotiation table and contributes to results that are visible in the everyday lives of both employees and employers.

− One example of this is the reform of the salary system for logistics and white-collar workers, which finally came into effect at the beginning of 2024. We had been working on it over several periods, Sinkkonen says.

Currently, the reform of the salary system for salespeople is underway, something that was agreed upon in the previous round of negotiations in 2023. The idea is, among other things, to examine and define the demand categories in a new way.  

− Groundwork is being done continuously with employers for the new round of collective bargaining. The negotiations for a new agreement will start for real next year, and the results of the work done in the working group will be finally weighed there, Sinkkonen says.

The Finnish Commerce Federations’s leading labour market expert Antti Huotilainen emphasizes that key issues in the upcoming round of negotiations are to complete the previously prepared working group work and to take into account the needs of different sectors and companies, for example through local agreements.

− We are going to the negotiations with an open mind and a solution-focused approach. It would be good to be able to develop flexible working arrangements that suit the needs of employers and employees. This way, it would be easier to access skilled labour and to contract more hours, Huotilainen states.  

Sinkkonen from PAM says that PAM is getting carefully prepared for the negotiations. This is important in a situation where wages in the service sectors have not kept pace with the cost of living. At the same time, many of the government’s cuts have hit workers in the sector hard affecting their livelihood.

− We will start building a collective agreement from many different bits and pieces, but the vision is clear. The new collective agreement must improve the position, livelihood and working life of our members, Sinkkonen states.   

Text: Minna Räsänen