Collective agreement for the hairdressing sector and working conditions in the hairdressing sector
Updated: 07.12.2021
The hairdressing sector does not currently have a nationwide collective agreement guaranteeing minimum working conditions for the entire sector such as pay and working hours. PAM has concluded agreements with individual companies and many employees are covered by the collective agreement for the commercial sector.
A long established negotiation culture was broken off in the hairdressing sector when PAM’s negotiating partner, the Finnish Hairdressers’ Association, terminated the generally binding collective agreement for the hairdressing sector as of 30 October 2018. Since then, the Finnish Hairdressers’ Association has not been willing to negotiate a new collective agreement for the sector.
In 2020 PAM concluded the first company-specific (The Parturi, Nordic Men´s Hair) collective agreement, which guarantees employees of that company basics like minimum pay, holiday bonuses and sick pay. PAM aims to agree further similar company-specific collective agreements.
Hairdressers employed in the S Group are covered by the commercial sector collective agreement.
Working conditions at the workplace
Employees should be aware that their employer can’t unilaterally change the conditions of a collective agreement. For example, the method of remuneration stated in the collective agreement (monthly pay or commission) or working hours can’t be altered without the employee’s consent. Employers also have an obligation to treat employees equally, so that for example evening bonuses cannot be paid just to some employees, they have to be paid to everyone.
These rights and obligations could become relevant if an employee has made his or her employment contract during the period of validity of the nationwide collective agreement and/or the company tries to apply different working conditions to persons who have joined the company at different times.
Pay level
Wages in the hairdressing sector in the last collective agreement that ended on 31 October 2018 were:
Wages 1.11.2017–31.10.2018 (in Finnish).
Membership gives you security
Being a member of PAM is important in the present situation too. As a PAM member you are entitled to all the union’s membership services, like employment advice and legal aid.
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