Finland Times

 

SDP lawmaker and former labour minister Lauri Ihalainen. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

Labour market organisations have accepted a proposal that Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP) lawmaker Lauri Ihalainen could take on the role of mediator between labour organisations and the government to reach into a negotiation on social agreement. 

 

The organisations, however, pointed out that the initiative in this case is in the government’s hands.

 

Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue (Social Democratic Party of Finland-SDP) Chairman Antti Rinne in an interview with YLE on Saturday morning named fellow party member Ihalainen as someone who could break the logjam between the government and the unions. 

 

Ihalainen, the labour minister of the previous government, is also the former chairman of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions.

 

A representative of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) did not comment on Rinne’s proposal to STT.

 

“Ihalainen certainly enjoys the confidence of all parties,” said Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK) Chairman Antti Palola.

 

Palola believes that this difficult situation is actually a good thing, and that there will be a variety of proposals which would contribute to a return to the negotiating table and a final agreement. 

 

In his opinion, all the proposals are worthy of being taken into account and addressed.

 

Sture Fjäder of Akava (Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland) agreed that Ihalainen’s experience makes him the right person for the job. 

 

According to him, Akava is willing to negotiate further, if the government responds in kind.

 

“But whether an opposition MP is an agreeable mediator for the government, I can’t say,” Fjäder said.

 

Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) Chairman Lauri Lyly characterized his predecessor as a person appreciated by all and who knows what she’s doing.

 

“Progress in this process requires a green light by both employers and the government,” Lyly remarked.

 

All employers’ organisations regard an agreement as preferable to the government’s hard-line alternative.

 

Both Akava’s and STTK’s chairmen were ready to accept the government’s five-per cent productivity goal, if the other demands on the list had been acceptable. 

 

SAK did not accept the objectives set out in advance then and still does not accept them.

 

“Without preconditions, the end result is worth exploring every negotiation proposal. With enough consideration for the matters at hand, everything will ultimately be resolved,” Lyly said.

 

Labour organisations have announced to organise a demonstration in Helsinki on Friday to protest the government’s forced laws.