JHL, Jyty and Juko are declaring a ban on overtime and shift swaps in the municipal sector
The main negotiation organisations of the municipal sector, JAU (comprised of JHL and Jyty) and JUKO, are declaring a ban on overtime and shift swaps in the municipal sector. The ban will start on Monday 7 March 2022, and it will be in place until Sunday 13 March 2022. The purpose of the ban set by the organisations is to speed up the collective agreement negotiations that broke down last Monday.
The ban on overtime and shift swaps concerning the municipal sector will start on Monday 7 March 2022 at 12 am. The ban will be in place for seven days, it will end on Sunday 13 March 2022 at 11.59 pm.
The ban on overtime and shift swaps will enter into force in the following agreement sectors: General collective agreement for the municipal sector (KVTES), municipal collective agreement for the education sector (OVTES), municipal collective agreement for hourly paid personnel (TTES), and the collective agreement for health and social services sector (SOTE agreement).
Office-holders covered by municipal-sector agreements are ruled out of the ban on overtime and shift swaps. In addition, work tasks that must be performed in order to protect life and health are ruled out of the ban. Work tasks that concern general safety or safeguarding of assets, that cannot be postponed to a later point in time, have also been ruled out of the ban on overtime and shift swaps.
JHL President Päivi Niemi-Laine emphasises the significance of all public services: “Many of the services that safeguard our daily life are taken care of by a combination of several professionals in, say, schools, early childhood education and care, and in the health and social services sector. Together, the services form an uninterrupted service chain. If this work is not done, or if one part of the chain is missing, it will lead to mental ill-health of children, young people and families, which can already be witnessed. The municipal sector needs solutions that show appreciation to the whole service chain, along with proper pay raises.”
Jyty President Jonna Voima justifies the decision: “To a very large extent, it is a question of putting the pay and working conditions right for, say, those who work within the health and social services sectors, early childhood education and care, and for personnel within support services that support the aforementioned sectors. There is a large number of professionals working in various fields of the municipal sector. Their work is demanding and important.”
JUKO’s Board Chair Olli Luukkainen (The Trade Union of Education in Finland, OAJ) also emphasises the significance of well-functioning multidisciplinary service chains:
“In these negotiations, we must solve how all public-sector services can attract enough competent employees, and how the current professionals can manage to keep working in their demanding jobs. When it comes to challenges related to quality and quantity of work, these challenges are threatening to increase even further.”
More information:
Public Sector Union JAU
President of Trade Union Jyty: Jonna Voima, 050 591 2341
President of Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL: Päivi Niemi-Laine, 040 702 4772
Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO
Board Chair Olli Luukkainen (OAJ), 050 065 2872