Collective bargaining week starts with retail overtime ban and negotiations in various sectors
When PAM's collective bragaining negotiators within the retail sector climbed the stairs to the negotiations in Eteläranta on 19 January, there was still no bans ahead. Photo: Lassi Kaaria
In the collective bargaining negotiations that PAM is conducting, only the schedules for the start of the week have firmed up so far. In the facilities services sector, conciliation will continue on Tuesday amidst the threat of strike action.
The week has begun with an overtime ban affecting the entire retail sector and with collective agreement negotiations in various sectors. Today negotiations will continue on small specialised sectors between PAM and Service Sector Employers Palta. These concern the copying and printing sector, photo products, special industry and the household appliance and equipment service and service machine sector.
Negotiations are now being conducted separately for each sector because Palta was not willing to negotiate a joint framework agreement for all sectors as PAM proposed.
Also on Monday, PAM’s collective agreement negotiators for hospitality services will again meet the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa. Following the negotiations last Wednesday, PAM President Ann Selin believes that the discussions on minimum working conditions have made progress, but on pay the parties’ positions were still fairly far apart.
Tomorrow Tuesday negotiations will also continue with MaRa concerning Avecra Oy train service personnel. Here too the talks got on to money last Friday, but as yet there is no negotiation result.
Negotiations on the facilities services sector led by the National Conciliator will also continue Tuesday. The conciliation began last Thursday 15 February after PAM broke off negotiations on Tuesday and issued a strike warning on Wednesday affecting 12 companies in the facilities services sector. If conciliation does not produce a result on time, the strike is due to start on Thursday 1 March.
Negotiations on pay rises for pharmacies will continue between PAM and the Pharmacist Employers Association of Finland next Wednesday 21 February. PAM applies the pharmacies’ collective agreement to pharmaceutical employees, pharmaceutical technicians, technical employees, pharmaceutical assistants, office workers and pharmacies’ own cleaners.
An overtime ban and a ban on accumulating a positive flextime balance in the retail sector started today Monday at 6 a.m. PAM ended up issuing the ban on Friday when it decided to break off negotiations in agreement with the Finnish Commerce Federation.
PAM’s Executive Committee will meet next Thursday 22 February to assess the state of the negotiations.