Finland Times

 

CEO of Central Chamber of Commerce Risto E. J. Penttilä. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

Entrepreneurs and business leaders have appreciated the competitiveness agreement but they still feel the necessity for more radical reforms in the labour market.

 

“In order to provide enough jobs for Finland, labour regulation should be reduced substantially by changing labour laws and increasing regulatory flexibility… in the workplace, it’s known this is how companies can thrive. [Companies] must be given the freedom and opportunity to bargain,” said Federation of Finnish Enterprises Chief Executive Officer Mikael Pentikäinen.

 

The leaders of the Central Chamber of Commerce also appreciated the competitiveness deal and like the entrepreneurs they also expect more reforms in the policy.

 

Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises, Mikael Pentikäinen. File Photo – Lehtikuva.

“Now we look to the future. The business environment needs to improve, competition increased and bureaucracy dismantled … during negotiations, the national debt has increased, exports are down, and the number of long-term unemployed has risen,” said CCC CEO Risto E. J. Penttilä, adding that the competitiveness agreement alone is not enough to patch these problems, let alone achieve significant growth.

 

According to Minister of Justice and Labour Jari Lindström, the process to pass the competitiveness agreement was very tough. “After all the continuous failures, we have now achieved a great step forward,” he told the Finnish language outlet Suomen Uutiset.