Negotiations between employers’ groups and trade unions ended late on Sunday night with the agreement of a new wage settlement for 2016.
Under the deal, salaries will rise by at least 16 euros a month, or a minimum of 0.43 percent where monthly earnings exceed 3,755 euros, a joint statement announced.
The labour organisations also announced a 0.5 percent increase in employers’ and employees’ unemployment insurance contributions.
The terms bring an overall increase of 0.54 percent to the current wage bill, the organisations announced.
The agreement will affect 1.8 million workers in Finland, and will need to be accepted by all the country’s labour organisations before it is brought into force. So far the largest employers’ pressure group, the Confederation of Finnish Industries, has accepted the settlement.
First step
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä told Yle that he is pleased that a deal has been reached, describing it as “a new step for Finland.”
Sipilä said the next step is the sealing of his hoped-for “social contract,” an agreement with employment organisations to accept tighter working conditions – such as longer hours or reduced Sunday pay – as a way of avoiding more drastic austerity measures.
