Labour leader hopes for good cooperation with new government

Ihalainen criticises Korkman initiative

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Lauri Ihalainen, President of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) hopes for cooperation with the upcoming government, which is increasingly likely to have a centre-right basis.
      "We do not evaluate governments on the basis of the parties in them, but rather on the basis of the government’s programme and actions", he said.
      Before the recent Parliamentary elections, the SAK was sharply criticised for the style of its get-out-the-vote campaign. Ihalainen feels that the criticism was excessive, and says that the SAK is capable of shouldering responsibility. He said that he hopes that it will be needed as a cooperative partner in the future as well.
      "Now that the dust of the election battle has settled, it would be good if we could gradually get back to proper cooperation. This is a serious appeal to both [Centre Party leader] Matti Vanhanen and [National Coalition Party leader] Jyrki Katainen."
     
Ihalainen has a "modest request" with respect to the government’s policy programme.
      "It would be good if the government programme would be as precise as possible with respect to income-based social benefits. If the programme is vague and general, it will leave open questions and concerns about what is actually to be done during the electoral term."
      "Considering both the economic situation and the debate that has taken place in connection with the elections, the government programme will not withstand any deterioration of basic security of wage earners, their fundamental rights, the conditions of employment, or job security", he warns.
      Ihalainen also observes that during the election campaign all significant parties promised to continue the tripartite cooperation involving employers, labour, and the government.
     
The SAK leader also lashed out against recent calls by Sixten Korkman, the Managing Director of the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) for the scrapping of centralised incomes agreements and tripartite cooperation.
      "It remains to be seen if this kind of thinking predominates more widely among the business community", Ihalainen said.
      He feels that the government should also make an effort on behalf of a collective agreement.
      "A contract that promotes wage equality would be most desirable. But much still needs to happen for the preconditions for this to exist."
      Ihalainen hopes that politicians would not make the task of the labour market leaders any more difficult by promising various groups bigger wage increases than others. He says that expectations were raised during election debates, which need a response, but which are difficult to meet.
      "Now these expectations will be at the labour market table, and solving the problem will not be easy", he said.
      "It will also not be easy for the future Minister of Finance to fulfil these promises."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Call for end of large tripartite collective labour contracts (26.3.2007)
  SAK cancels controversial political television advertisements (5.3.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat