The Finnish Commerce Federation reacts to PAM’s unreasonable industrial action

The Finnish Commerce Federation reacts to Service Union United PAM’s excessive and extreme industrial action and initiates countermeasures. The Federation decided, as a very exceptional measure, to end the withholding and crediting of trade union membership fees as of 15 February.

At its meeting on 31 January 2023, the Board of the Finnish Commerce Federation discussed the exceptional waves of strikes announced by Service Union United PAM and the reasons behind them. Due to the extreme measures taken by PAM, the Board of the Finnish Commerce Federation decided on the rare solution of ending the withholding and crediting of PAM members’ trade union membership fees as of 15 February 2023.

“The Finnish Commerce Federation cannot sit idly by and watch the unreasonable strikes by PAM targeting employers in the middle of negotiations. In this situation, employers simply have no choice but to resort to their own means outside the negotiating table,” says Anna Lavikkala, Labour Market Director at the Finnish Commerce Federation.

According to the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector, the employer is obliged, at the employee’s request, to withhold membership fees for Service Union United PAM and to credit them to the union’s bank account.

“The massive strike waves announced by PAM during the negotiations are financed by their members’ membership fees. This is a severe response by the employer to the extreme measures initiated by PAM.”

The Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector will expire on 31 January 2023. In accordance with the Board’s decision, the Finnish Commerce Federation calls on its member companies to stop collecting membership fees for members of the Service Union United PAM as of 15 February 2023. The decision concerns the following collective agreements:

  • Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector
  • Collective agreement protocol for ICT salaried employees in commerce
  • Collective agreement protocol for Hankkija-Maatalous sales personnel
  • Collective Agreement for Warehouse and Transport Supervisors
  • Collective Agreement for Retail Supervisors

For further information, please contact:

Anna Lavikkala, Labour Market Director, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0)40 040 6088, anna.lavikkala(at)kauppa.fi

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