SY chair Salminen criticizes trade unions’ response to Government reforms

SY is disappointed that trade unions are responding with political strikes to reforms aimed at easing employment and bringing more people into work.

“These reforms are in the interests of the Finnish worker, because they make it easier for companies to employ people and strengthen their capacity for succeeding on the market. When a company succeeds, it creates jobs and higher wages,” says Petri Salminen, chair of the board of Suomen Yrittäjät, the Finnish SME association.

Salminen says that the reforms being prepared in Finland are extremely moderate by international comparison and ones that Finland’s competitor countries did decades ago.

“Much bolder reforms have been conducted elsewhere, including with the support of trade unions, raising participation in the labour force and reinforcing competitive edge. If Finnish companies do not succeed globally, Finland will not manage and will not be able to afford the kind of welfare state we currently have,” Salminen says.

Everyone can think for themselves whose interests they are serving by making their employer’s business more difficult in the middle of a downturn,” he adds

Suomen Yrittäjät points out that the Government’s reforms are strongly supported by businesses. The next Government will have to continue the job. Businesses will also need to play their part.

It is in every business owner’s interest to ensure that their employees enjoy high standards of employment. Our working condition barometer survey shows that a small company is a good employer. When there is a good atmosphere and cooperation in the workplace, everyone benefits,” Salminen says.

Paying employees’ trade union subscriptions not compulsory

Mikael Pentikäinen, the CEO of Suomen Yrittäjät, reminds companies that are not members of employer federations that they do not need to pay trade union subscriptions on their employees’ behalf.

“Many business owners have paid trade union subscriptions out of the goodness of their hearts. We understand that business owners feel bad paying membership subscriptions to unions which damage their companies’ operations. Nowadays, the unions can collect their subscriptions directly from their members,” Pentikäinen says.

Suomen Yrittäjät reminds companies that are members of employer federations that they may be contractually obliged to pay their employees’ trade union subscriptions on their employees’ behalf. If a company is not a member of an employer federation, it is not obliged to pay trade union subscriptions on its members’ behalf, unless it has specifically agreed with the union to do so.

If your company has been paying subscriptions on your employees’ behalf and you stop doing so, you should tell your employees in advance so they have the time to start paying their subscriptions to their unions themselves. As an employer, you don’t need to know who is unionized and who isn’t,” Pentikäinen says.

Strikes not obligatory

Suomen Yrittäjät stresses that nobody is obliged to join walkouts, strikes or any other industrial action. No one is obliged to be a union member, either.

“In Finland, there is the right to strike, but not the obligation to strike. If the employees want to come to work, then work can continue as normal, even if the union has announced a walk out or a strike,” says Janne Makkula, a vice president at Suomen Yrittäjät.

If a unionized employee does not participate in a strike announced by their union, the only consequences relate to the legislation on associations, such as expulsion of that worker from the union. A union cannot sanction a non-unionized employee in any way.

“As an employer, you can also ask whether your employee is coming into work, because that can have an impact on your business and how you keep production going. You also have to know the reason for any absence,” Makkula says.

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