Companies can now apply for membership in the association

Technology Industry Employers of Finland is starting up its operations, and organisations can now apply for membership. T

As we enter August and start leaving the summer behind, the labour market is gearing up for autumn. The change in Technology Industries of Finland’s labour market activities announced in the spring is also being put into practice. Technology Industry Employers of Finland will be officially starting up its activities on 10 August, and will take over responsibility for negotiating new national collective agreements in the sector.

Members of Technology Industries of Finland can apply for membership of the employers’ organisation through this newly opened website. A link to this website can also be found on the Technology Industries of Finland website.

Membership applications can be made using a very fast and simple online process. You can, of course, also submit a traditional paper application. Technology Industry Employers of Finland’s Board of Directors will approve new members at the next meeting following the receipt of applications.

Seeking to reform national collective agreements

Working life is evolving, the world is changing, and changes in companies’ operating environments have been talked about for years. The labour market system has been very slow to react to these changes. Although there has already been some good cooperation, we still have a lot of work to do.

The new model for the technology industry will provide more options for making agreements. Terms and conditions of employment may be agreed on as before, by way of national collective agreements, or then companies can negotiate their own company-specific terms and conditions. Cooperation, mutual agreement and taking company-specific needs into account will form the mainstays of both options.

The sector’s current collective agreements may contain things that are necessary and important from the perspective of many workplaces, as they provide security for both employees and employers. However, the majority of these terms and conditions were agreed on before Finland joined the European Union, and were created to meet the needs of the 1970s and 1980s. Local agreements have been possible since the 1990s, and cooperation has also promoted the use of local agreements in the workplace.

“Is a basic 1970s bike with no gears still a good transport option in the 2020s?”

Using the bicycle as an analogy, we should consider whether a basic 1970s bike with no gears is still the best transport option for the 2020s, or whether we need better design, a lighter frame, more gears, or even an electric model. In the same way, we should consider bringing collective agreements into the 2020s.

We don’t need to tear up all the old ideas and throw them in the trash, but we should consider how collective agreements serve the workplaces of today – and more importantly, those of the future. The collective agreement of the future will create opportunities for employment and success in the workplace. It will generate added value for both employees and employers by providing security, stability and flexibility in a single package.

Forging the future together

Reforming terms and conditions of employment requires long-term cooperation. Each party can consider the objectives among themselves, but actual results and new agreements can only be achieved though constructive collaboration.

Technology Industry Employers of Finland was established to negotiate national collective agreements and take responsibility for cooperation with trade unions It is this cooperation that we are setting out to engage in, and we hope that our member companies will also see it as the best option and wish to be involved in influencing the reform of national collective agreements.

Jarkko Ruohoniemi

CEO, Technology Industry Employers of Finland