JHL, Jyty and JUKO: Ban on overtime and shift swaps to be re-introduced in the municipal sector

The main negotiation organisations of the municipal sector, JAU (comprised of JHL and Jyty) and JUKO, are declaring a third week-long ban on overtime and shift swaps.

The ban on overtime and shift swaps concerning the entire municipal sector will start on Monday 4 April 2022 at 12.01 am. The ban will be end on Sunday 10 April 2022 at 11.59 pm. With extensive threats of strike and by exerting pressure, the organisations wish to speed up reaching an agreement at the National Conciliator’s negotiation table.

The ban on overtime and shift swaps concerns the following agreement sectors:
•    General collective agreement for the municipal sector (KVTES)
•    municipal collective agreement for the education sector (OVTES)
•    municipal collective agreement for technical personnel (TS)
•    municipal collective agreement for hourly paid personnel (TTES)
•    collective agreement for the health and social services sector (SOTE).

The ban does not apply to office-holders covered by municipal-sector agreements. 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.

The ban on overtime and shift swaps that JHL, Jyty and JUKO have now declared is the third one in the municipal sector. The first ban on overtime and shift swaps concerning the entire municipal sector was in place from 7 to 13 March, and the other ban between 21 and 27 March.

– We are willing to reach an agreement, but we are also prepared to extend the measures even further if no agreement is reached. The municipal sector needs a pay regime and significant pay raises. This fact will not change by delaying the solution, Jonna Voima (President of Jyty) states.

– The repeated bans on overtime and shift swaps, and the strike warnings that are continuously extending, should finally make Local Government and County Employers KT and the political decision makers behind it wake up. Empty promises and kind words do not contribute to a pay regime. It’s time for a change, JUKO’s Board Chair Olli Luukkainen (OAJ) emphasises.

– Our members are serious, they are demanding significant pay raises for the entire municipal sector. In case the negotiations are not starting to move forward, we are ready to extend and increase the pressure. If necessary, we will close the entire nation, JHL President Päivi Niemi-Laine threatens.

Several strike warnings filed – approximately 81,000 municipal-sector employees involved

In addition to the bans on overtime and shift swaps that concern the entire municipal sector, JHL, Jyty and JUKO have been on strike and filed strike warnings for ten cities in four waves. Jyty and JHL members were on strike in Rovaniemi and Jyväskylä (23–24 March). This week, they will be on strike in Tampere and Kuopio (29–30 March). Jyty, JHL and Juko have filed a strike warning for Oulu and Turku. The strike is set to take place between 6 and 7 April.

As for JUKO, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland (TEM) has postponed the strikes in Jyväskylä and Rovaniemi to 6–7 April. The strikes in Kuopio and Tampere will be postponed to 12–13 April.

The fourth week-long strike warning has been declared for the Helsinki Metropolitan Region (Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, Kauniainen). The strike is set to take place after Easter (19–25 April). The strikes apply to approximately 31,000 employees in the Helsinki Metropolitan Region. All in all, the strike waves apply to approximately 81,000 employees in the municipal sector.

More information to the media:

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 (The Trade Union of Education in Finland OAJ), 0500 652 872