Facility services sector strikes
Service Union United PAM has announced a strike in the facility services sector because no agreement has been reached with the Real Estate Employers on a new collective agreement or what wage rises there will be.
The strikes will take place at designated work sites or companies, meaning they won’t affect the whole sector or all workers. The strikes apply to all employees working at the strike sites who are covered by the collective agreement negotiated by PAM and Real Estate Employers – not just PAM members.
Don’t do work that is covered by a strike
The right to strike is protected by the Finnish Constitution, so employer cannot force anyone to do work covered by a strike. Every worker has the right to refuse work that is on strike.
Strike pay week 11
Overtime and shift change ban from 1 March
Questions and answers on strikes
Applying for strike pay (16-18 March)
PAM pays strike pay of 100 €/day to striking PAM members who would have had a work shift of at least four hours during the strike and who suffer loss of earnings as a result. After tax has been withheld, the strike pay is 66,40 €/day.
Workers taking part in the facility services sector strike that are members of other SAK affiliated unions register and seek strike pay from PAM. Members of other trade unions should contact their own trade union.
Applying for strike pay is confirmation that you took part in the strike. You must apply for strike pay within one month from the end of the strike. Apply at the same time for strike pay for all strike days. The applications are processed within two weeks.
Apply for strike pay
Strike week 12 (23-24 March)
Unless agreement can be reached before then, strikes start on Thursday, 23 March at 00.00h and end on Friday, 24 March at 24.00h or at the end of a shift that started before 24.00h.
The strikes are on work that is covered by the facilities services sector collective agreement at these companies:
- Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- Coor service management Oy
- Delete Finland Oy
- Eskolanmäen kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- Hakunilan Huolto Oy
- HH-Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- ISS Palvelut Oy
- Kajaanin huoltokeskus Oy
- Kotikatu Oy
- L&T Kiinteistöhuolto Oy
- L&T Siivous Oy
- L&T Teollisuuspalvelut Oy
- Rovanapa Oy
- RTK-Palvelut Oy
- Siskon siivous Oy
- SOL Palvelut Oy
The work stoppages are not aimed at emergency work or functions where a strike would pose a threat to life, health, property, or the environment. Employers must seek exemptions for emergency work from PAM 7 days before the strike.
Note! We no-longer receive applications for exemptions for the strike week 12. Applications for exemptions for the strike on week 13 must be sent on Thursday, 23 March at the latest.
The following sites or functions are not strike targets (no need to seek exemption):
- Cleaning connected to surgical procedures in specialised healthcare (cleaning of operating rooms).
- Food industry facilities, where animals are slaughtered.
- Cleaning and maintenance at nuclear power plants.
YOU DON'T NEED TO REGISTER FOR THE STRIKE BEFOREHAND. Your application for strike pay is confirmation of taking part in the strike. The application form will appear on PAM’s website on the first day of the strike. Send in your application within a month of the strike.
PAM PAYS STRIKE PAY of 100 €/day to striking PAM members who would have had a work shift of at least four hours during the strike and who suffer loss of earnings as a result. After tax has been withheld, the strike pay is 66,40 €/day. Read more about strike pay
Strike week 13 (30 March - 1 April)
Unless agreement can be reached before then, strikes start on Thursday, 30 March at 00.00h and end on Saturday, 1 April at 24.00h or at the end of a shift that started before 24.00h.
The strikes are on work that is covered by the facilities services sector collective agreement at these companies:
- Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- Coor service management Oy
- Delete Finland Oy
- Eskolanmäen kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- Hakunilan Huolto Oy
- HH-Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- ISS Palvelut Oy
- Kajaanin huoltokeskus Oy
- Kotikatu Oy
- L&T Kiinteistöhuolto Oy
- L&T Siivous Oy
- L&T Teollisuuspalvelut Oy
- N-Clean Oy
- Rovanapa Oy
- RTK-Palvelut Oy
- Siskon siivous Oy
- SOL Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
- SOL Palvelut Oy
The work stoppages are not aimed at emergency work nor functions where a strike would pose a threat to life, health, property, or the environment. Employers must seek exemptions from PAM 7 days before the strike. Applications for exemptions for the strike on week 13 must be sent on Thursday, 23 March at the latest.
The following sites or functions are not strike targets (no need to seek exemption):
- Cleaning connected to surgical procedures in specialised healthcare (cleaning of operating rooms).
- Food industry facilities, where animals are slaughtered.
- Cleaning and maintenance at nuclear power plants.
YOU DON'T NEED TO REGISTER FOR THE STRIKE BEFOREHAND. Your application for strike pay is confirmation of taking part in the strike. The application formwill appear on PAM’s website on the first day of the strike. Send in your application within a month of the strike.
PAM PAYS STRIKE PAY of 100 €/day to striking PAM members who would have had a work shift of at least four hoursduring the strike and who suffer loss of earnings as a result. After tax has been withheld, the strike pay is 66,40 €/day. Read more about strike pay
Frequently asked questions about strikes
Update your membership details
It is important that your membership details (workplace, contact information etc.) are correct in PAM’s membership register. You can check and update your details in our e-services.
Ask your shop steward for more information
You can always ask the shop steward at your workplace for help. So please contact him/her if you have questions!
You can also call our employment helpline Mon-Fri 10 am – 2 pm on 030 100 620 or e-mail us at lakko@pam.fi
Get your co-workers on board!
Tell your co-workers why they should also be part of this! If your co-workers are not yet members, recommend membership to them – it’s worth it!
Overtime and shift change ban from 1 March
PAM’s Executive Committee has decided to impose a ban on shift changes and overtime. This means that from Wednesday 1 March workers must not agree to changes to shifts initiated by employers and must not agree to work overtime. Part-time employees can work extra hours if they want. The ban applies to the entire sector.
Overtime ban in the property services sector – what is overtime?
During the overtime ban, hours may not be accumulated in working hours accounts or similar systems. During the overtime ban the use of external labour or, for example, on-call workers or agency labour is not accepted, if the aim of this is to get round a lawful overtime ban.
In the property services sector, overtime is work done beyond 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. If the weekly working hours agreed in an employee’s employment contract are 37.5 hours, an employer also cannot require extra hours to be worked beyond the 37.5 hours agreed in the employment contract up to 40 hours.
If an adjustment system is used (maximum of 8-week period, or up to 26 weeks if agreed locally), the employer cannot change working hours agreed previously in the shift list.
If work is organised as period-based work, the maximum amounts are 112.5 or 120 hours in three weeks or a maximum of 75 or 80 hours in two weeks. Period-based work can be scheduled according to the above lower or upper maximum amount of hours, and you do not need to agree to work hours in excess of these.
Overtime is always voluntary for the employee, and when PAM announces an overtime ban employees covered by the ban exercise this right and refuse overtime offered by their employee.
The same hourly limits also apply to part-time employees. So they can accept extra hours up to the overtime limit even when an overtime ban is in place.
On-call duty during overtime ban: the overtime ban does not apply to previously agreed upon on-call duty. During on-call duty you only do the work that is necessary to protect peoples’ health and lives, the environment or property. All work that is not urgent is done during regular working hours.
The overtime ban and the shift change ban do not apply to emergency work or work where it would endanger critical infrastructure or cause significant damage to the general interest. Separate permission for this work must be sought from PAM.
Work schedule
- The work schedule shall be drawn up for at least one week at a time and employees shall be given at least one week’s notice before it becomes operative.
- If an adjustment system is used, the employer shall draw up in advance the working hours adjustment system, during whose use working time shall be equalised to a maximum average of 37.5 or 40 hours. Each week’s working time is to appear in the adjustment system and workers are to be notified of it at least one week before it becomes operative.
- When period-based work is used, the work schedule is to be drawn up for the period being used and workers are to be notified of it at least one week before it becomes operative.
- The employer may unilaterally change the work schedule for weighty reason related to the organisation of the work, in which case the change shall affect a date that is at least five days in the future.
If the employer suggest you do extra work on a day off, you have the right to say no thank you. If you don’t have a shift that day according to the shift list, then you have a right to your day off.