JHL’s Executive Committee approved the negotiation results for the private teaching sector and adult education centres
JHL’s Executive Committee approved the negotiation results that were reached for the private teaching sector and adult education centres on Tuesday 21 May. Professionals will receive pay raises already in June. A working group will develop the pay system through the two-year agreement term.
The Executive Committee of Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL approved on 23 May the negotiation results for administrative and support service staff in the private teaching sector and adult education centres. The Executive Committee convened during JHL’s Union Council assembly to approve the negotiation results that were reached on Tuesday 21 May.
The new terms and conditions of employment came into effect on 23 May 2024 when all agreement parties (JHL, Jyty and Finnish Education Employers) had approved the negotiation results in their executive bodies. The agreement periods are two years and end on 31 March 2026.
What does a negotiation result mean?
A negotiation result means that the negotiating parties in collective agreement negotiations have reached a consensus on the content of a new collective agreement. The executive bodies of the negotiating parties need to approve the negotiation result in order for it to be turned into the collective agreement on terms and conditions of employment.
Pay raises become effective in June
The negotiation results will bring employees the following pay raises already on 1 June:
- 2.5% general raise
- 0.4% local instalment
- Compensations for shop stewards and occupational safety and health representatives will increase 2.9%.
The general raise applies to both pay scales and those euro sum fees that are mentioned in the collective agreement.
The local instalment is distributed locally in a way decided by the employer based on the difficulty level of the work and/or work performance. The distribution of the local instalment will be negotiated with shop stewards. The local instalment must be paid at latest in connection to the pay day of September 2024. It will be paid retroactively from 1 June 2024 to those who have been in the employment relationship on 1 June.
There will also be a so called comparison sector entry about pay raises on 1 May 2025: In May next year the employees will get a pay raise, the level of which is affected by the total cost impacts of pre-agreed export industry collective agreements. In other words, the next year’s pay raise level is determined later based on the comparison sectors.
Working groups will improve the terms and conditions of employment during the agreement term
With this negotiation result, the working groups, which are important for JHL, can roll up their sleeves and start their work. The working groups that were entered into the negotiation results will improve the members’ terms and conditions of employment during the agreement term.
JHL is particularly happy for a dedicated working group for administrative and support service staff’s pay system. During the agreement period the group will investigate the functionality of the pay system’s current state and its development needs. If required, a completely new pay system will be built.
– It is great that the necessary pay system evaluation and development work can continue during the agreement period, Senior Bargaining Specialist Hanna Katajamäki comments.
The position of the employees is going to be developed in many ways
In addition to pay raises and working groups, the negotiation results also include many other changes that improve the position of the employees.
In future, diversity of families is acknowledged in temporary child care leave. Earlier it was possible to take temporary child care leave only when the employee’s own child fell ill. In future, the right to temporary child care leave also applies when other child who permanently lives in the same household and is under ten years of age or has a disability suddenly falls ill.
Furthermore, the negotiation results contain two recommendations that JHL considers particularly important. The parties recommend that employers should consider a 30-day summer break as equivalent to time at work. This way the summer break would not interrupt accrual of annual leave.
The parties also recommend that the employers should look into not charging the price of a meal when the employer has supervision responsibility at the meal. Such meal would be a fringe benefit.
These sectors will also start a fixed-term experiment where an employee can agree directly with the employer about exchanging holiday bonus into time off.
To whom do these negotiation results apply?
The negotiation results for the private teaching sector and vocational adult education centres apply only to administrative and support service staff, who are represented by JHL and JYTY. They do not apply to teaching staff. OAJ and Finnish Education Employers (FEE) will continue negotiations regarding teaching staff.
Administrative and support service employees in the private teaching sector and adult education centres work for example as instructors, assistants, secretaries, administrative planners and specialists. They also include professionals working in catering and in cleaning and property services.
The number of people working in the private teaching sector is about 12,000, of which more than 6,000 are administrative and support service employees. The number of people working in vocational adult education centres is about 1,300, of which more than 300 are administrative and support service employees.
The Government’s cutbacks are poison for education
The long negotiations and conciliation process were overshadowed by the Finnish Government’s extensive cutbacks in education.
The Government is going to cut 100 million euros from vocational education (news article in Finnish). The cutbacks also hit liberal adult education and study centres. Furthermore, the Government is also going to abolish the adult education benefit (news article in Finnish).
– The cutbacks that were agreed already in the Government Programme and further increased with the Government’s spending limits session will have a major impact on different educational institutions and make their operation more difficult, Katajamäki tells.
Information on the negotiation results will be updated on Finnish Education Employers’ website (in Finnish):
More information:
Senior Bargaining Specialist Hanna Katajamäki, 050 5137 701
Bargaining Specialist Laura Tuominen, 050 4092 460