Detailed content of the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector

Wages

The pay agreement consists of a one-off instalment and pay increases on 1 June 2023 and 1 June 2024.

Instalment in April 2023

• The sum of the instalment paid to all employees is EUR 400.
• The instalment will be paid in connection with the payment of wages in April.
• Half (EUR 200) of the sum can be paid later in connection with the payment of wages in September.
• For part-time employees, the sum is paid in proportion to the number of contracted hours.
• The employment relationship must have started no later than 1 February 2023 and the employment relationship must be valid on the date of payment of the instalment.
• The instalment will also be paid if the employee is laid off or on sick leave or family leave.
• If the employee’s employment relationship is fixed-term and its duration is less than four months, the sum of the instalment is proportional to the duration of the employment relationship (e.g. 4-month employment = EUR 133.33).
• The instalment will not be paid if the employee has resigned or the employment relationship has been terminated on grounds attributable to the employee before the first payment date.
• The instalment shall not be taken into account in the payment of other wage components, such as annual holiday pay, overtime pay or average hourly earnings.
• The instalment will also be paid to supervisors in accordance with the above criteria.

Pay increases on 1 June 2023

• Personal monthly wages will be increased by EUR 105 and hourly salaries by EUR 0.66.
• Pay scale rates will be increased by 3.88 per cent. In addition to this increase, B1 and C1 pay scale rates will be increased as follows:
  • B1 pay scale rates by 50% of the difference between B2 and B1 pay scale rates.
  • C1 pay scale rates by 50% of the difference between C2 and C1 pay scale rates.
• Employee representative remunerations will be increased by 6%.

Pay increases on 1 June 2024

• Personal monthly wages will be increased by EUR 60 and hourly salaries by EUR 0.38.
• Pay scale rates will be increased by 2.14 per cent. In addition to this increase, B1 and C1 pay scale rates will be increased as follows:
  • B1 pay scale rates increased to the level of to B2 pay scale rates.
  • C1 pay scale rates increased to the level of to C2 pay scale rates.

Changes to the text (valid from 1 February 2023, unless stated otherwise)

Language proficiency bonus

A major goal of the Finnish Commerce Federation was to reform the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector towards a more multicultural labour market. An important part of this goal was the abolition of the existing language proficiency bonus addendum. This goal was successfully achieved.

The language proficiency bonus addendum in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector will be abolished as of 1 February 2023. The language proficiency bonus in force on 1 February 2023 will be paid as part of the employee’s total pay in the future. Thus, anyone’s personal wages will not decrease, but new employees and employees who have not received the language proficiency bonus before will no longer be paid the bonus as of 1 February 2023.

Pay system

A pay system for logistics and salaried employees was agreed upon as part of the collective agreement solution. The new pay system will be introduced on 1 January 2024.

Classification and pay scales:

• Performative basic duties (salaried employees) à Pay scale A
• Professional duties (salaried employees and logistics employees) -> Pay scale B2
• Demanding professional duties (salaried employees and logistics employees) -> Pay scale C1 (C2 as of 1 June 2024)
• Specialised professional duties (salaried employees and logistics employees) -> Pay scale D
• Specialist duties (salaried employees) -> Contractual salary

The pay system for logistics and salaried employees will change accordingly:

• The current pay scales will be replaced with new requirement levels that better identify the elements of more demanding work.
• The requirement levels include, for example, the competence required for the duties, consideration, autonomy of work and the nature of interaction.
• Certain collective agreement provisions related to pay and terminology will be updated (warehouse worker -> logistics employee, clerical employee -> salaried employee).

Extended paid family leave

Paid family leave for non-birthing parents will be extended as of 1 March 2023 to 36 days.

In the future, paid family leave will be determined accordingly:

• Birthing parent: pregnancy leave pay from the beginning of the pregnancy leave for consecutive 40 days of pregnancy allowance and parental leave pay for the first 36 days of parental leave.
• Non-birthing parent: parental leave pay for the first 36 days of parental leave.

Employee representatives

Employee representatives’ rights to information and job release periods were extended as part of the collective agreement solution. In the future, geographically large companies must take into account the geographical scope and the number of locations as part of the job release period.

Other changes agreed upon

The Finnish Commerce Federation and Service Union United PAM agreed on the following working groups:

• Education group
• Commerce sector equality group
• Working time group to study and clarify certain working time provisions of the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector
• Salesperson remuneration basis reform group
• During the agreement period, the working group aims to prepare the reform of the basis of remuneration paid to salespersons and store employees in accordance with the reforms now implemented. Final changes will be decided on in future collective agreement negotiations.
• Round table on the future of commerce: Joint commerce sector discussion and development forum of the Finnish Commerce Federation and PAM
• Continuation of the project on the well-being at work of retail sector supervisors

The Tutustu ja tienaa scheme was included in the collective agreement. The remuneration will be EUR 395 in 2023 and 2024.

Supervisors

The salaries of supervisors will be increased accordingly:

• 3.5 per cent on 1 June 2023
• 2.5 per cent on 1 June 2024

The one-time instalment of EUR 400 will also be paid to supervisors according to the abovementioned criteria.

The Collective Agreement for Retail Supervisors received a few clarifications regarding substitute arrangements for supervisors and payment discussions. In addition, the names of the supervisors’ collective agreements were changed as follows: Collective Agreement for Retail Supervisors and Collective Agreement for Commercial Logistics Supervisors.

Bulletin:

Agreement reached on labour dispute in commerce sector – negotiation result accepted and strikes cancelled

Agreed changes to the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector 1 February 2023

Agreed changes to the Collective Agreement for Retail Supervisors 1 February 2023