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15.03.2017 klo 08.00

EK’s local agreement objectives not acceptable to PAM’s Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of Service Union United PAM considers that Veli-Matti Mattila, Chairman of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), made insulting remarks belittling the sacrifices made by workers for companies’ competitiveness. PAM expects EK to think more of common interests and to create a basis for agreement.

The members of PAM’s Executive Board questioned comments by Mattila in the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that all working conditions should be agreed locally. Indeed President Ann Selin wonders whether EK’s member associations all support Mattila’s views.

– Mattila left no doubt that EK’s objective is to scrap the current collective bargaining system and to make all agreements local. But employers are sending out conflicting messages, and we know of many employers who have distanced themselves from Mattila’s comments.

PAM’s Executive Board believes that agreeing all working conditions locally would significantly worsen the income and working conditions of many service sector workers. PAM’s Executive Board rejects this line and believes that society cannot be built on low wages and insecurity.

– The basis of local agreement must be equal rights to minimum working conditions for all. We cannot accept employers dictating terms unilaterally that would lead to lower incomes for workers and in the worst case working poverty, Selin stresses.

PAM’s Executive Board expects EK to foster agreement, not to make the upcoming collective bargaining round more difficult.

– It is unacceptable if EK intends to dictate a strict collective bargaining framework to its member associations even though it has outsourced responsibility for reaching agreement. Unless EK changes its approach, we can be sure that the upcoming collective bargaining round will be difficult, Selin predicts.

 

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