Commercial sector's collective agreement

Updated: 03.08.2023

The collective agreement for commerce employees agrees the minimum terms of employment for work in the commerce sector. For example, in the agreement sales assistants or warehouse workers can find details of what pay, working hours and sick pay they should be paid. The terms are minimum terms.

The agreement is negotiated by Service Union United PAM, representing employees, and the Finnish Commerce Federation, representing employers. The period of the collective agreement is 1.2.2023-31.1.2025 (24 months).

The agreement applies in companies operating in retail trade, wholesale trade, commerce logistics, wholesale on a fee or contract basis, kiosk trade, motorway traffic and service station activities, commerce service and support activities and machine rental. The commerce collective agreement covers around 200,000 employees.

Commerce sector collective agreement 1.2.2023-31.1.2025

Formatted e-version of collective agreement (will be added later)

Annex to commerce collective agreement – agreements and recommendations (will be added later)

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Links to documents below followed by text summary of changes

Changes to commerce sector collective agreement (attachment in Finnish)

Changes to collective agreement for retail trade supervisors (attachment in Finnish)

Guide to paid family leave provisions (attachment in Finnish)

Earn as you learn agreement (attachment in Finnish)

What is new compared to the previous collective agreement?

The agreement period of the commerce sector collective agreement is 1.2.2023-31.1.2025 (24 months).

Wages

Wage scales from 1.6.2023 (attachment in Finnish)

Supplements from 1.6.2023 (attachment in Finnish)

The pay settlement consists of a lump sum and wage increases on 1.6.2023 and 1.6.2024.
Lump sum in April 2023
- For full-time employees 400 euros, for part-timers pro rata to hours in employment contract
- Paid together with wages for April 2023
- 200 euros (half) can be paid no later than together with wage payment for September
- Conditional on the employment relationship having begun no later than 1.2.2023 and being valid on the first payment date
- Is also paid if an employee is laid off or is on sick leave or family leave
Wage increases 1.6.2023
- Personal monthly wages increased by 105 euros, personal hourly wages by 0.66 €
- Pay scales increased by 3.88%
- Pay scales also increased
  - By increasing B1 pay scales by 50% of the difference between B2 and B1 pay scales
  - By increasing C1 pay scales by 50% of the difference between C2 and C1 pay scales
- Staff representative payments increased by 6%
Wage increases 1.6.2024
- Personal wages increased by 60 euros and personal hourly wages by 0.38 euros
- Pay scales increased by 2.14%
- Pay scales also increased
  - By raising B1 pay scales to level of B2 pay scales
  - By raising C1 pay scales to level of C2 pay scales

Shop steward payment from 1.6.2023 (attachment in Finnish)

Health and safety representative payment from 1.6.2023 (attachment in Finnish)

Guide to wage increases (attachment in Finnish)

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Text changes below enter into force on 1.2.2023 unless stated otherwise:

Pay system

PAM’s objective was to improve the pay system for logistics and clerical employee roles. Significant progress was made in this objective. Pay system for logistics and clerical employee roles:

Will be introduced on 1.1.2024
Classification and wage linkage
- Basic work role [clerical employees] → wage group A
- Professional role [clerical employees and logistics] → wage group B2
- Demanding professional role [clerical employees and logistics] → wage group C1 (1.6.2024 C2)
- Specialised professional role [clerical employees and logistics] → wage group D
- Expert role [clerical employees] → contractual wage, higher than wage for specialised professional role

Pay system for logistics and clerical employees reformed as follows:

On 1.1.2024 current logistics [warehouse employees], clerical employees’ [office employees] and ICT clerical employees’ pay groups replaced by new classification based on complexity of role
Complexity factors include skills required in role, discretion, degree of independence of work and nature of interaction
Pay-related collective agreement provisions and terms will be updated to correspond to complexity-based wage steps

Complexity classification for ICT clerical employees to be introduced on 1.1.2024.

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Paid family leave period extended

PAM’s objective in the negotiations was to reform the collective agreement to correspond to the objectives of the family leave reform. We were successful in this objective. With the new collective agreement the following will change:

Birthing parent: pregnancy leave pay for 40 continuous pregnancy allowance days from start of pregnancy leave and parental leave pay for first 36 parental allowance days.
Non-birthing parent: parental leave pay for first 36 parental allowance days.

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More job release time for staff representatives

PAM’s objective in the negotiations was to improve the position of staff representatives. We were successful in this, with more job release time for staff representatives being agreed in the negotiations. Check job release times to here (will be added later).

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Other key changes

Trade union training updated

Limitations on number of courses removed from collective agreement → right to participate and payments:

shop stewards and occupational safety representatives maximum 2 weeks during calendar year
deputy shop stewards and 1st deputy occupational safety representatives maximum 1 week during calendar year

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Earn as you learn agreement made part of collective agreement

Earn as you learn agreement made part of the collective agreement

Summer 2023 and 2024: payment 395 euros

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Joint development

Local amount pilot as part of 2024 pay settlement for clerical employees and wholesale sales and purchasing staff
Working group to reform pay bases for sales staff
Working hours working group to clarify working hours provisions in collective agreement
Equal opportunities monitoring working group
Training working group, incl. promotion of mm. apprenticeship training
Round table on future of commerce: joint PAM and Finnish Commerce Federation discussion and development forum for commerce sector
Continuation of wellbeing at work project for retail trade supervisors

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Progress in promoting wellbeing at work for supervisors

Work roles to be organised such that substitution arrangements or other arrangements decided by the employer allow supervisors to take leave
Discussions can be initiated by either side on the actual situation of leave and working hours
In connection with annual pay discussions, bases of possible payments and/or supplements and training and orientation requirements in support of supervisors’ skills also to be discussed
Hours worked for a valid reason outside of working hours is additional hours or overtime, and do not reduce hours in adjustment period, unless agreed otherwise at the initiative of the supervisor (not a new interpretation)
Discussions on time usage of shop stewards and occupational safety representatives to take into account the number of employees represented and other aspects

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Other points

Earn as you learn agreement for summer 2023 and 2024

Earn as you learn agreement for summer 2023 and 2024; payment 395 euros (+ 10 euro improvement on previous). You can find Earn as you learn agreement form here.

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Changes affecting supervisors

Wages

Wage increases for supervisors

Lump sum April 2023
- For full-time employees 400 euros, for part-timers pro rata to employment contract hours
- Will be paid together with April 2023 wage payment
- 200 euros (half) can be paid no later than together with September wage payment
- Conditional on the employment relationship having begun no later than 1.2.2023 and being valid on the first payment date
- Also paid if the employee laid off or is on sick leave or family leave
1.6.2023 pay scales and personal wages increased by 3.5%
1.6.2024 pay scales and personal wages increased 2.5%

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