An outcome in line with the general policy was reached in the collective agreement negotiations for state civil servants and employees early on Tuesday night. The length of the agreement period is 23 months starting on 1 April 2020. The pay settlement follows general policy.
OAJ does not have its own negotiator in the negotiations over the collective agreements for state civil servants and employees but instead Public Sector Professionals JUKO negotiated on OAJ’s behalf. However, OAJ will negotiate directly with the employer regarding specific collective agreements for roughly 600 OAJ members who are state civil servants.
– The state negotiations were challenging, especially regarding the Competitiveness Pact but luckily even that was finally settled. An agreement over removing the competitiveness pact hours in government educational institutions will be made by the end of May. It is great to achieve a two-year agreement period and wage increases in line with general policy, says Petra Kirkko-Jaakkola, OAJ’s Labour Market Advisor who is also OAJ’s main negotiator for civil servants’ specific collective agreements.
OAJ teachers in the specific collective agreement negotiations
Specific collective agreements for civil servants will mainly concern issues regarding wages and working hours. OAJ’s members work in the following educational institutions:
- Valteri school (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- Language schools (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- Sámi Education Institute and the Meriturva Maritime Safety Training Centre (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services
- Emergency Services Academy Finland under the Ministry of the Interior
- Reform schools under the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Wage increases in line with general policy
There will be two general increases during the agreement period. The first will be 1.1% and the second 0.97% (a minimum of EUR 20.37). The third instalment of 1.0% must be negotiated by 15 March 2021. If no agreement is reached about its distribution, it will be distributed as a general increase.
- 1 August 2020 general increase 1.1%
- 1 June 2021 general increase 0.97% with a minimum of EUR 20.37.
- The third instalment of 1.0% must be negotiated by 15 March 2021. If no agreement is reached, it will be distributed as a general increase.
Separate wages will be increased with a general increase at the same time as other wages.
In addition, the monthly compensation of full-time and part-time shop stewards and health and safety representatives will be increased by 3.07 per cent on 1 August 2020.
Agreement period is 23 months
The agreement enters into force on 1 April 2020 and has a duration of 23 months. The last day of the period is 28 February 2022.
Removal of Competitiveness Pact hours
Dismantling the extended working hours of teaching staff in government educational institutions and related arrangements will be negotiated and agreed by 31 May 2020. The negotiations are conducted between the Office for the Government as Employer (VTML) and the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO.
Work groups established in the negotiations
The following work groups have been established for the agreement period
- Work group on well-being at work, which will focus especially on development discussions.
- Travel work group for the entire period.
- Statistics work group.
- Working hours work group.
- Government wage system work group.
The contracting parties of the collective agreement for state civil servants and employees are Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO, Trade Union Pro, Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL and Office for the Government as Employer. The reached agreement applies to roughly 72,000 civil servants. Of those, nearly 600 are OAJ members.
6.4. Change in "Removal of Competitiveness Pact hours" paragraph. Negotiations are between VTML and Juko, not between OAJ and government educational institutions.
Kuva: Leena Koskela