Finland Times

 

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on Wednesday said he would be really disappointed if the labour market organisations do not reach an agreement on the employment package. 

 

Sipilä said he expects tangible results from the employment committee within the time limit, which is no later than Friday.

 

Meanwhile, Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) Chairman Jarkko Eloranta said the organisation does not approve cutting unemployment benefits. Thus the government’s goal of increasing changes to the income security of 8,000 unemployed people seems, to the organisation, hard to realise.

 

According to Eloranta, the government’s target cannot be achieved by the responsible ministry without reducing unemployment benefits.

 

“Friday is the deadline in this matter, and I expect that the committee produces specifics in that time,” Sipilä said at the Nordic Prime Ministers’ Meeting in the Äland.

 

The government’s goal is to raise the employment rate to 72 per cent. However, achieving this goal appears difficult, which is why the government has requested new proposals from the labour market organisations on how to improve employment by the end of September.

 

The government has required joint proposals from the organisations which would increase employment by at least 10,000 people. Of these, 8,000 jobs should be created to change earnings-related unemployment benefits.

 

Sipilä reiterated his position that it would be a tightening of unemployment benefits but also a more intensive use of income security.

 

“I believe this is a good chance to achieve our desired end results. I’d be very disappointed, if we cannot get consensus by Friday,” said Sipilä.