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The draft for a centralised incomes policy agreement is at present being used in
bargaining in the different sectors of industry. The unions still have some two weeks for
bargaining on the basis of the incomes policy, as they are obliged to declare on 13th
December as to whether or not they will participate in the centralised incomes policy
agreement. Should a sufficiently large number of sectors reach collective agreements which
tally with the incomes policy, the central organisations of trade unions, the employers'
federations and the Government will sign the incomes policy agreement on 15th
December. It is expected that nearly all sectors of industry will participate in the
centralised incomes policy agreement. The low-paid professionals in the municipal sector
are likely to remain outside the incomes policy agreement and they will try to negotiate
higher pay rises for themselves during the winter. AKAVA, which represents the unions for
Academic Professionals, was not successful in its attempt to achieve a special pay award
for low paid but highly qualified professionals, such as librarians, nursery school
teachers and social workers. AKAVA did not sign the draft incomes policy agreement,
although numerous unions which are affiliated to AKAVA are however bargaining on the basis
of the agreement.Bargaining in the service
sector
PAM, Service Unions United, which is a gigantic new, SAK
affiliated union and which was only established on Tuesday, 28th November after
evolving from a merger of several unions, is now bargaining on the basis of the draft
incomes policy agreement in all of the sectors in which it has a negotiating mandate. PAM
represents, for example, sales assistants, waiters, security guards and cleaners, and its
membership exceeds 200,000. Mrs Maj-Len Remahl, who has just been elected to the post of
the President of the new union, stated that bargaining on the basis of the incomes policy
agreement was not just a mere formality in the service sector. Difficulties have arisen,
for example, in the negotiations concerning the Saturday which follows Ascension Day, as a
free day on full pay for everyone, and in the implementation of the special allowance for
the low-paid and of the equality allowance. However, Mrs Remahl remains optimistic and
hopes that agreements will be achieved in the service sector as a whole by the set
deadline, and that the centralised incomes policy agreement will acquire a sufficiently
wide cover of sectors.
Leena Seretin |
