Left Alliance chair and education minister Li Andersson said the Finnish Forest Industries Federation's (FFIF) decision to abandon collective bargaining in the labour market was politically-motivated and would mean a worsening of conditions for employees.
In a surprise move on Thursday, the FFIF announced that it would abandon collective bargaining in the Finnish labour market.
In Finland, working hours and salary levels in most labour contracts are tied to sector-based collective bargaining agreements.
All Points North looked at wage talks in Finland's labour market. You can listen to the full podcast via the embedded player here or via Yle Areena, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your usual podcast player using the RSS feed.
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Reacting to the bombshell announcement in a tweet on Friday, Andersson said the forest industry was sending a polarising message and that she thinks the sector is showing their disregard for trade unions as well as how the collective bargaining agreement system has developed in Finland over several decades.
Andersson said that the abandonment of collective bargaining arrangements means that the government has an obligation to enact a minimum wage law and increase legislation on employment security.
The current collective bargaining agreements within the forestry industry will be in force for periods of 15-27 months. After that, forestry companies will be able to use their own, local employment contracts.
