February 2023

UPDATE: Provisional agreement reached in Finnish industrial sector pay dispute

The office made the announcement in a tweet(siirryt toiseen palveluun) on Friday, the final day of a three-day strike in the sector.

However, the proposed settlement must still be approved by the boards of both parties, the Industrial Union, representing workers, and employers' group the Technology Industry Employers of Finland.

The terms of the deal will be made public once approval is confirmed by both sides, the Office of the National Conciliator added.

Industrial Union chair, Riku Aalto, tweeted that the union's board will convene on administration on Sunday to discuss the proposal.

"A negotiated outcome has been reached, but we will not comment on it until the board has given its position. It's been a long process," Aalto told reporters.

Representing the employers' side, Jarkko Ruohoniemi said that its board will also discuss the outcome of the negotiations at the weekend.

He added that there was moderate optimism on the employers' side that a finalised agreement is within sight.

The standoff in the industry's collective bargaining negotiations had threatened to escalate into a wave of strikes, with two other unions within the sector — the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN and the Trade Union Pro — also announcing planned walkouts.

The service sector union PAM and the Transport and Transport Workers' Federation AKT also said they intended to proceed with their own industrial actions if settlements were not reached in their sectors.