Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions does not warm to idea of shortening people’s holidays

Outgoing EK chairman sees shorter holidays as one way to extend people’s working careers

Sakari Tamminen (left) and Lauri Lyly

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Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) Chairman Lauri Lyly does not regard the debate over shorter annual holidays as a topical subject for discussion.
      According to Lyly, the matter has not been discussed in connection with the talks over how to increase the length of people’s professional careers.
      Lyly says that the increase of people’s work input should first be sought by employing the unemployed and by lengthening the working hours of those in part-time and temporary jobs.
      “Thirdly, working life should be organised in such a way that it enables the lengthening of one’s career”, Lyly continues.
     
On Saturday, Sakari Tamminen, the outgoing chairman of the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, suggested in a joint interview by the Turku daily Turun Sanomat, the Oulu daily Kaleva, and the syndicated Väli-Suomen sanomalehdet that the shortening of annual holidays would be one way of lengthening people’s working careers.
      In Tamminen’s view the working career debate should not be about the retirement age alone.
      “In Finland, the annual time spent at work is among the shortest in the world”, Tamminen pointed out.
      Finns also go into working life relatively late, by international comparisons, as lengthy education delays entry.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  OECD urges Finland to raise retirement age to 65 (3.3.2010)
  Finns expect their pension benefits to deteriorate (8.2.2010)
  Government backs down on plans to raise retirement age (11.3.2009)

See also:
  Average retirement age has increased in Finland (28.1.2010)
  Number of applications for old-age pension is expected to increase dramatically this year (18.9.2009)
  10,000 Finns will reach retirement age in September (8.9.2008)

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