According to the industrial union, promises of tax reductions will not make the union compromise its wage demands. Instead, the union wants to transfer social security payments from wage earners to employers.
Key The wage earners’ organization Teollisuusliitto does not warm to the finance minister Annika Saarikon (middle) to the thought that the government of the country would link tax reductions to the wage solutions of the labor market partners. According to Saariko, the government could lighten labor taxation if moderate wage solutions are made in the labor market.
Chairman of the Industrial Association Riku Aalto said that he met with Saarikko and officials of the Ministry of Finance at their request on Tuesday.
“Our message to them was that we are not interested in linking tax cuts to the wage settlement. The government will do what it does with regard to tax reductions, but it has no effect on the setting of our negotiation goals,” Aalto said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In the opinion of the Finnish Industry Association, instead of easing taxation, the transfers of social security payments made in connection with the competitiveness agreement should now be cancelled. Canceling them would mean that payments would be transferred from employees to employers for about two percentage points.
The Finnish Industry Association therefore wants the responsibility for improving the purchasing power of employees to be borne by employers and not the state.
“The public sector runs a significant deficit. We don’t think it’s reasonable to go for tax cuts,” Aalto reasoned.
Industry Association starts negotiating wage solutions for important export sectors with employers in the technology industry and the chemical industry around the turn of the moon. If an agreement is not reached by the end of September, the technology industry agreement can be terminated until the end of November and the chemical industry agreement at the end of December.
Chairman Aalto did not reveal the union’s goals as salary increase percentages. The administration of Teollisuusliitto meets to discuss the goals at the end of the month.
Aalto criticized the politicians for demanding wage moderation from the Finnish Confederation of Industry.
“During the negotiations on the part of the municipality, nothing was said about the salary model. But when that agreement was made, demands for wage moderation came from the mouths of ministers and many others. And they were clearly aimed at our negotiations.”
Wave also reiterated his disappointment with the contract on the municipal side, which automatically gives employees in the municipal sector higher raises than employees in the export sectors.
“We are not sorry that the public sector gets salary increases. We are disturbed by the fact that for the next five years Teollisuusliitto and AKT will also be negotiating salary increases in the public sector. We have been given a reasonably heavy responsibility,” Aalto said.
Aalto warned that the contract on the municipal side could lead to a spiral of salary increases, as the employees in the private sector want at least as big raises as the employees in the municipal sector. Aalto was asked why wage earners in industry cannot temporarily settle for lower pay increases than in the public sector.
“The labor market logic just works in such a way that we look at what the neighbor has received, and aim for the same or even a slightly better contract. A wage spiral can then arise from that,” Aalto replied.
Industry Association also presented his views on what the country’s government should decide in its budget rush at the turn of August and September.
Teollisuusliitto supports, for example, the reduction of day care fees, the continuation of the increase in the commuting deduction and the support of households that rely on direct electricity or oil heating.
#Labor #market #Riku #Aalto #Swedish #Industry #Association #met #Finance #Minister #Saariko #rejected #offer #tax #reductions #interested
