Collective agreement negotiations in a nutshell

As a union member you are entitled to strike pay

TEK stands by its members. Those members who are left without earnings because of the strike are to receive strike pay. This strike pay amounts to 70 euros per day. This sum is subject to tax, which means that in practice people are left with 51.10 euros per day. Strike pay is paid in accordance with the employee's work shift schedule.

All persons who have signed TEK's membership form before the strike begins and have payed at least the first instalment of the membership payment are eligible for strike pay. For those members, who have joined in December the membership invoices will be sent in January. The strike pay payments are to be made in January 2020, and the first instalments need to be payed before that. 

Also TEK's student members are eligible to strike pay if they are in an employment relationship and have been on strike. 

The strike pay is applied for with an electronic form. Apply for strike pay here (form only in Finnish) on 9 January the latest. Note! You need to register with a Finnish online bank ID or a mobile ID. 

You do not have to give prior notice about being on strike

The strike notice issued by YTN on 24 November notified employers of the fact that the employees of the affected companies would be on strike for the period mentioned in the notice. Because the work is on strike, it is assumed that no senior salaried employee or other salaried employee is at work during that period.

Individual employees do not have to separately notify their employer of going on strike. This notice has been given beforehand in a centralised fashion. Depending on the company, the code "unpaid absence" (palkaton poissaolo) is often entered into the work-hour records after the fact. The strike does not have to be mentioned.

Impact of strikes on annual holidays

As a rule, annual holidays are accumulated when there are at least 14 days of work or work-worthy days per calendar month. Strike days are not counted as work days. If you take unpaid holiday days around the Christmas season, there is a risk that you will not accumulate annual holidays. 

How to keep up with the negotiations?

Best way to stay updated on the negotiations is to follow your email. Field specific emails are sent to all union members working in the field. If you have not received any emails, check your email settings at oma.tek.fi membership portal (check the box next to "Labour market news and lobbying") or contact TEK's member register, member@tek.fi. 

Contacts and questions concerning these matters are dealt with centralized by YTN. When necessary, please contact YTN hotline 040-352 36 71 (08-18) or lakko@ytn.fi. 

The employee representative at your workplace is also an important link during the negotiations. The representative will inform about the advances in negotiations and provides assistance in questions related to the negotiations. 

The consulting sector has gathered their newsletters on this page (in Finnish). Newsletters are in both Finnish and English.

What are the negotiations about? 

The basis for a fair working life is negotiated in the collective agreement negotiations. For example, salary increases and the continuation of the additional work hours policy introduced in the Competitiveness Pact (kiky) are on the agenda.

The negotiating parties consist of the professional organisations and the employers' organisations. The goal of both parties is to ensure that there are enough job opportunities in Finland and that the well-being of employees enables them to do their best.