New terms and conditions of employment for municipal sector have been confirmed – first pay raises already in June

On 8 June, Trade Union JHL’s approval confirmed the municipal sector’s terms and conditions of employment for 2022−2025. The terms and conditions of employment approved by JHL, Jyty, Juko and Local Government and County Employers KT apply to all municipal collective agreements, including the health and social services sector agreement (SOTE).

The decision made today by the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL to approve the municipal sector’s negotiation result means that the terms and conditions of public office and employment of approximately 300,000 employees will enter into force. The current labour peace applies to nearly 70% of municipal employees. The parties have now reached an agreement on all the municipal sector’s collective agreements.

In terms of content, the agreement solution is similar to the conciliation proposal given by the conciliation board. As a result of the approval, the new terms and conditions of employment apply to KVTES, SOTE agreement, collective agreement for technical personnel TS, and collective agreement for hourly-paid employees TTES. In addition, the new terms and conditions are applied to physicians’ collective agreement LS and teachers’ agreement OVTES.

– This solution breaks the so-called Finnish model where the industrial sector’s pay raises have held all other sectors as hostages. On the basis of the agreement, we can now start filling the municipal sector’s pay gap. We’re still some way off, but we’re on the right path, JHL President Päivi Niemi-Laine states.

The first pay raises will be paid during June of the current year.

– If the negotiations had been stretched to autumn, it would have meant a loss of pay raises for this year. Our members will now get a general raise of EUR 46 in June, albeit no less than 2 per cent. In a situation where inflation is running wild and prices are rising, it would have been irresponsible to continue arguing and worsening our members’ personal finances, JHL’s Bargaining Director Kristian Karrasch continues.

The pay raises in the agreement’s second and third year will be at least 1.9 per cent a year, regardless of what the export sectors and technology sector would agree on. If higher raises are agreed on in these sectors, also the municipal sector’s pay settlement will reflect the difference.

In addition to the three-year agreement, all municipal agreement sectors will get a five-year pay regime. It aims to improve workforce availability and to reform the pay systems so that they provide more incentives.

– In this agreement, our members are the ones who will get pay raises. However, it is likely that the raises will be paid to all municipal employees in the name of equality, Kristian Karrasch continues.

The collective agreements that have now been approved have been concluded between JHL, Jyty (negotiation organisation JAU), JUKO (an Akava member organisation) and employer organisation KT. The agreement will also give these main contracting organisations the right to negotiate on local agreements with the employers.

In case of another possible agreement solution, JAU (JHL and Jyty), JUKO and KT will evaluate its impacts and negotiate on possible further measures.

Because the agreement solution was confirmed, the ban on overtime and shift swaps that has applied to the municipal sector ended on 8 June at 12 am.

JHL’s website has more information about the content of the agreements (in Finnish).

More information

JHL’s President Päivi Niemi-Laine, 040 702 4772
JHL’s Bargaining Director Kristian Karrasch, 040 728 9046