Press releases

In the view of the Finnish Commerce Federation, the decisions taken in the government’s budget framework session are mostly a step in the right direction, but insufficient in terms of reform. The commerce sector is satisfied with the government’s RDI decisions, as they will strengthen growth over the long term. It is also necessary to invest in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine and in ensuring Finland’s security. However, the session provided no new solutions to improve employment or dismantle incentive traps.    

The long-running coronavirus pandemic and the military action launched by Russia will have significant negative economic effects, which will be felt in the daily lives of citizens. The commerce sector expects the government's budget framework session to provide solutions that support purchasing power, to promote growth-enhancing regulatory reform, and to take into account all potential and cost-effective energy production methods in response to the prevailing energy security and climate challenges.

The new provisions on discounts will enter into force on 28 May and, from that date, consumers will have to be informed, in addition to the discount or offer price of the goods, of the lowest price at which the goods have been sold to consumers in the 30 days preceding the campaign. This requirement does not apply to perishable foods or discounts targeted at a limited number of consumers, such as loyalty programme offers. 

According to the Finnish Commerce Federation, there are serious mismatch problems between the unemployed and vacancies in Finland, and problems in the availability of labour are also a familiar phenomenon in the commerce sector. The reform of the social security system should be accelerated and the incentive traps should be dismantled in order to make it profitable to accept and work every working hour. On Friday, 11 February, the government decided on new employment measures.

The Finnish Commerce Federation and the Service Union United PAM reached an understanding on the Collective Agreement for the Commercial Sector late on Tuesday, 1 February 2022. The Finnish Commerce Federation describes the solution as moderate, but also sees that maintaining and developing the competitive strength of the industry will require more extensive, structural reforms in the future.