Press releases

On Friday 31 January, Service Union United PAM announced massive strikes in the commerce sector. The strikes will particularly target the largest logistics and daily consumer goods trade operators in the commerce sector. The Finnish Commerce Federation has been actively negotiating with PAM under the direction of the National Conciliator since the beginning of February and has sought to find joint solutions to reach a result. However, the parties are still far from a mutual agreement in terms of their objectives. As previously announced, the commerce sector's strikes will begin on Monday, 17 February.

The decline in retail trade's sales volume continued last year for the third consecutive year and will continue early this year. However, the Finnish Commerce Federation predicts that the sales volume will increase by approximately half a per cent this year and the growth will accelerate to approximately 1–1.5 per cent next year. The multiple tax wedge of services is burdensome to the international competitiveness of specialty goods trade in particular by weakening purchasing power and raising prices. The government’s mid-term review should focus on a tax policy that genuinely creates growth and supports the operating conditions of companies.

Last year, the number of parcels worth less than EUR 150 arriving in Finland from outside the EU, mainly from China, increased by more than 800 per cent. This explosive increase challenges product safety, the circular economy and fair competition. The situation calls for quick response from both the European Commission and the Finnish government.

Nicotine pouches have established themselves in the Finnish market and their use has increased in recent years. Product regulation is necessary, but legislation must be balanced. Public health and economic considerations must be taken into account and sales must always be responsible and supervised. The state would receive up to 150 million euros of tax revenue per year from the sale of nicotine pouches. The majority of users have switched to nicotine pouches from cigarettes, e-cigarettes or snuff.

This Christmas, the number of visits to the websites of Chinese online stores and marketplaces has almost tripled in two years. Nearly one third of Finns have ordered purchases from Chinese online stores or marketplaces during the past year. The waste management and recycling of shipments from China that are given as Christmas presents are mainly paid for by companies operating in Finland. The authority that supervises producer responsibility is facing an impossible task.