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02.06.2025 15:16

”A challenging starting point, but we achieved a lot” – how did the collective bargaining go?

The collective agreements were negotiated in a challenging labour market situation. Despite this, we managed to safeguard several important issues. Collective Bargaining Manager Juha Ojala at PAM summarises what was achieved, what did not go through – and how PAM sees the next negotiations in a few years.

Kuvassa PAMin sopimuspäällikkö Juha Ojala

What were the biggest challenges of this collective bargaining round? 

Securing income and purchasing power – absolutely. Due to the high inflation, we have a gap in real incomes that needs to be put right. 

The government’s cuts to social security have further weakened the status and livelihood of employees. Legislative changes have weakened the collective bargaining system and employees’ rights, and this has been exceptional. 

Collective bargaining is affected by changes in society, economic cycles and political decisions. These were highlighted, since a larger part of the regulation of working conditions has moved to the political arena and outside the collective bargaining table. Therefore, negotiations entailed completely new challenges. 

What are you particularly happy with this time? 

In all of PAM’s national collective agreements, we managed to get wage increases as general increases without local wage pots. This means that the wage increases apply equally to all employees, both in pay scales and individual wages. For example, in the technology industry, some of the wage increases were allocated to locally agreed wage items. In this respect, we achieved a better result for PAM’s sectors than the technology industry. 

We agreed on major structural solutions and working groups that will work on development issues. 

We also agreed on major structural solutions. For example, in the collective agreement for the commercial sector, we agreed on a new salary system for salespersons to be implemented in October 2026. For the property service sector, we negotiated a system for annual leave that will enter into force in 2027 and guarantee that paid leave is accumulated on equal terms according to hours worked. 

In addition, in several collective agreements, we agreed on various reforms and to appoint working groups to work on development issues. The development work will continue during the agreement period. 

Employees’ protection against dismissal was strengthened through the right to be heard. In a situation where an employee is dismissed on personal grounds, the employee has the right to be heard and the right to receive support in this from the workplace union representative or a union official. 

We also succeeded in strengthening the position of union representatives (also called shop stewards) in non-organised companies where contractual rights have been expanded through legislation. We did not end up in a long period without a collective agreement, the majority of agreements were completed on time. 

What did you have to give up and is there anything you feel bad about?  

The wage increases in euros did not go through after the general line was established, i.e. the technology industry collective agreement was reached. This had been our primary goal. We still pushed through the percentage wage increases without local wage pots, which can be considered a victory. 

It is possible that the criterion of “serious grounds” as a basis for personal dismissal will be removed from the Employment Contracts Act. This would only leave “proper grounds” in the law. We did not get the wording “serious grounds” as such in the collective agreements, but we still managed to add a text on a hearing procedure that confirms the employee’s rights. 

The employer side achieved some of its goals through legislative changes. 

The employer side’s coordination was strong again this time. Issues of principle received too much attention, especially at the National Conciliator, and sector-specific goals were often overlooked. 

The employer side achieved some of its goals through legislative changes. Defending them at the negotiating table posed exceptional challenges. 

What have we learned and what will we focus on as we move towards the next round of negotiations?  

We had good cooperation with other unions under the leadership of the Finnish Confederation of Trade Unions SAK, and the coordination strengthened our joint negotiating position. This cooperation will continue after the agreement period and will lay the foundation for future negotiations. A high level of union membership and support from members will continue to be very important. 

Our advocacy will focus on societal impact 

Our advocacy will focus on societal impact, as a larger part of the regulation of working conditions has now moved to the political arena. The 2027 parliamentary elections and the subsequent government negotiations will be particularly significant in this regard. 

We must ensure that the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections and PAM’s long-term goals, such as collective bargaining rights and reducing involuntary part-time work, are highlighted among our members and discussed in the workplaces. 

Securing union density – that we have enough union members – is a prerequisite for achieving our goals, and in the future, it will be crucially important. Although the government coalition may be different during the next bargaining round, it is the collective bargaining power that will determine the outcome at the bargaining tables. 

See collective agreement for your sector 

Text: Minttu Sallinen 
Photo: Eeva Anundi 

Keywords:

collective agreement collective bargaining membership

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