With almost nine out of ten employees covered by a collective agreement, the Finnish bargaining system appears to be strong and robust. However, there are challenges as both some employers and strong political parties try to weaken the collective bargaining system.
In this context, UNI Europa organised a workshop with the commerce section of the trade union PAM (Palvelualojen ammattiliitto) to strengthen the existing multi-employer bargaining system. On 3-4 October, almost 20 shop stewards and collective bargaining experts met to explore the power dynamics within the sector, the power resources available to trade unions and possible strategies to develop the sectoral level of collective bargaining.
The workshop was part of the EU-funded Level-up project, which focuses on multi-employer bargaining and promoting dialogue and cooperation to strengthen sectoral bargaining. This was the fourth and final workshop of the project. You can also read more about the first, second and third workshops.