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Finland's latest general incomes policy agreement appears to be gaining broad approval,
but its full scope will continue to be debated until Thursday afternoon. Sectoral
collective agreements covering more than one million Finnish employees have already been
concluded within the framework of the general agreement.Major sectors approving the
general agreement within the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK include the
private services sector, the transport sector, State and municipal employees, building
workers, and employees in the chemical and engineering industries. Unions with a valid
long-term collective agreement have remained outside of the new deal. These include the
foodstuffs and aviation sectors.
The general agreement has been rejected by academically qualified staff on lower salary
scales, such as nursery school teachers. librarians and social workers. Doctors have also
decided to conduct their own negotiations.
The coverage of the new general agreement will be considered again on Thursday by the
governing boards of SAK and the other Finnish employee confederations, and by the Finnish
government. If the general agreement is understood to be of sufficiently broad application
at that time, then it will be signed on Friday morning.
