Real change of policy as a goal – "The pace needs to change"
TEXT TIIA KYYNÄRÄINEN AND HEIKKI JOKINEN
PHOTO ANTTI HYVÄRINEN
In April 2027, Finland will elect a new parliament. The Industrial Union has now published its goals for the next parliamentary term. It calls for real change in labour, working life and growth policy, for better employment security and balance in the labour market.
Riku Aalto, the Industrial Union chairperson, says that the Government we have now has failed badly.
– The Government’s policy has been extremely short-sighted. They have made a huge number of changes to social security and labour legislation without thinking at all about the impact of such decisions, Aalto says.
The main task for the next Government is to get Finns to believe again in the future. The Union elections platform aims to strengthen the security net in a host of ways.
– The working life measures are geared towards instilling people’s trust in the labour market system and security of their jobs, firstly, but not forgetting there are questions concerning income that need to be addressed.
Dismissals on economic or production-related grounds should require a compelling reason.
– Internationally, dismissals are remarkably easy and cheap in Finland. From the point of view of companies, Finnish working life is as flexible as it can be and the risks of recruiting the wrong kind of labour are small.
NEW DIRECTION BY VOTING
Fighting labour exploitation is crucial. At present, there are no sanctions for wage theft. If taken to court, the companies just need to pay what the employees should have got in the first place.
– Unions do not have the tools to work for a single employee, in the event he or she is not a member of the union. We would also need tools to rein in this phenomenon, Aalto says.
The Government’s policy has been extremely short-sighted.
Next Spring, Finns can show what they think about the measures of the Orpo-Purra Government. According to Aalto, its continuation would still mean even worse rules and regulations in working life. The only way to get change is to vote.
– If we want employees’ rights and fair working life rules, the pace needs to change.
BETTER ECONOMY AND LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
The goal of the Industrial Union programme for the 2027–2031 parliamentary term is to restore stability, fairness, and security in the Finnish labour market. The economy will be strengthened through growth, not cuts.
The Union’s main message is to look to the future. The question is not to call off earlier decisions but to focus on reforms, similar to those in other Nordic countries. A stable and just labour market is built by strengthening trust, oversight and shared rules, not by weakening the position of employees.
The model for growth should be built on investments, know-how and a just transition. A sustainable economy must come from work and industry, not by saving the country to death.
WAGE THEFT MUST BE A CRIME
The three key problems in the labour market are undermined employment and income security, increasing labour exploitation, and an unstable labour market balance. The Industrial Union proposes comprehensive legislative reforms to address these problems.
In particular, the Union wants to strengthen employment protection in dismissal cases. The key priority is to prevent unwarranted fixed-term contracts and contract chaining, as well as improving the position of part-time workers.
Finnish working life is as flexible as it can be.
To combat labour exploitation, wage theft should be criminalised, unions need class-action rights, and contractor liability must be tightened. Authorities need stronger powers, and exploited workers must be better protected.
Better labour market balance requires repairing overblown and unnecessary, strike-related restrictions, and by reinforcing collective bargaining. We need stronger criteria for generally binding agreements, better quality local bargaining, and a legally secured role for shop stewards.
The Union wants more resources for vocational education, research and innovation, and a flexible system of business subsidies.
In climate and energy policy, a just transition means taking into account employees and regions. Without this, it loses credibility. Technological transformation should not leave workers behind.
