The "Finnish model" can promote industrial peace

The "Finnish model" would provide tools for conciliation too, says Ms Minna Helle, National Conciliator, in a blog of the online newspaper.

The "Finnish model" would provide tools for conciliation too, says Ms Minna Helle, National Conciliator, in a blog of the online newspaper Verkkouutiset. http://www.verkkouutiset.me/suomen-malli-toisi-sovitteluun-tyokaluja/

Labour market organisations have agreed the preliminary guidelines on the so-called Finnish model that will be followed in the approval of the comprehensive collective settlement at the sectoral level.  The aim is to support competitiveness in the fields that are especially liable to international competition, and to support employment, productivity development and the balance in general government finances. It is the National Conciliator's duty to endorse these principles.

Ms Helle says that the contents of the model will be specified later. The principles to be applied in the conciliation process that affect the contents of the solutions are new in Finland, because at legislative level the aims of conciliation have only been linked to promoting industrial peace. In practice the change is not so dramatic: even now the National Conciliator takes the labour market policy situation, the solutions reached in other branches and the general wage settlements into account.

It is Ms Helle's view that agreement on the Finnish model will increase rather than decrease the number of tools available to conciliation. She believes that it is good if the main principles followed in conciliation of industrial disputes are linked to the commonly agreed objectives.