The board of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, EK, and the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees, STTK, announced on Thursday afternoon that the deal was sufficiently comprehensive, with 80 to 90 percent of workers included. However the EK expressed disappointment that the level of participation was not higher.
That level remains unclear, as talks are still ongoing with two key groups: the Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees (ERTO) and employees in the financial sector. The state labour mediator presented these unions with compromise proposals shortly after the overall pact was signed. They are to respond to these offers by 11 am and 2 pm Friday respectively.
Earlier in the day there were urgent efforts to encourage more unions to sign on to the agreement.
The employers' side considered the participation of dockworkers to be extremely important. However talks with the longshoremen's union broke off on Thursday afternoon.
They will apparently remain out of the new incomes deal, which takes effect in mid-February. The agreement covers the longest period ever, two and a half years. Talks and preparations for the deal have been going on all autumn.
The government had promised a package of tax incentives if the agreement was approved.
