News

An outcome was reached in the collective agreement negotiations for state civil servants and employees under contract today. The achieved solution applies to 600 members of the OAJ.

The private education sector agreement, negotiated by OAJ and the Finnish Education Employers, is in line with the labour market’s general policy. The working time regulations of the Competitiveness Pact will be removed. The duration of the agreement period, beginning on 1 April, is 24 months and the cost impact of the agreement is 3.2 per cent.

A collective bargaining result was reached at the university sector on March 22, 2020. The content can now be published after all negotiating parties have accepted the result. The new collective agreement is in effect for 24 months, from April 1, 2020 until March 31, 2022.

The negotiations regarding the private education sector between OAJ and the Finnish Education Employers were finalised last night as the parties were able to agree on a solution. At the same time, an agreement concerning teachers at adult education centres was reached. This solution applies to more than 8,000 members of the OAJ.

Basic education, upper secondary education, adult education and higher education units are switching to distance learning in order to slow down the spreading of the coronavirus. The educational institutions will switch to remote teaching latest on 18 March in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Culture’s recommendation. OAJ stands by the Government’s policy and regards the ensuring of the teachers’ health and livelihood as extremely important during such exceptional circumstances.

As with all other sectors of the society, the coronavirus epidemic is causing changes to the currently on-going collective agreement negotiations. The negotiations are on-going in all OAJ agreement sectors and the changing situation is monitored on a daily basis.

Let's get on thing straight: a teacher’s job does not stop when the classes are over. Teaching entails a constant interaction with students, parents or carers, and psychosocial risks are widespread among the profession. Education trade unions are a powerful and democratic voice for teachers, so we must take the lead in improving teacher wellbeing, says Susan Flocken, European Director of ETUCE.

Nordic’s leading teaching and education sector event Educa brings over 500 guests from abroad to follow the whole new international programme. OAJ published a video in which 18 Finnish teachers reveal their superpowers.

OAJ’s demand that the salary level of highly educated groups working in the public sector must be corrected using a salary programme is supported by public opinion. Around nine in ten Finns think that a salary of about EUR 3,000 a month is suitable for recently graduated class teachers.

Nordic’s leading teaching and education sector event Educa is expanding with a new international programme package in January 2020.

This autumn is big for the education policy. After the Finnish parliamentary elections, the cuts to education funding are finally over. Here is a brief summary of the current events in the Finnish education policy.

Suomi järjestää ensimmäisenä Pohjoismaana kansainvälisen opetusministereiden ja opettajajärjestöjen huippukokouksen 14.–15.3.2019. Kokoukseen on kutsuttu PISA-testeissä parhaiten menestyneet ja omaa osaamistasoaan vahvasti nostaneet maat.

The annual Educa trade fair organised by the Trade Union of Education in Finland, OAJ, will bring together thousands of Finnish teachers. One of the key events will be a panel featuring the top names in party politics, who will be challenged on the future of education, training and research.

OAJ is an active influencer of education policy. Heljä Misukka, OAJ’s Director of Educational Policy, is currently attending The ETUCE Special Conference in Athens, Greece. Read up on the current issues of education policy in Finland.