The international labour movement

The European Union affects Finnish labour legislation

Many laws that regulate work and changes to agreements start with the European Union’s (EU) adoption of new labour regulation.

European confederations of trade unions and employers’ associations can also negotiate and agree on matters that regulate work. If an agreement is reached, the content of the agreement can be adopted through an EU Directive. After that, each EU Member State will enforce the provisions of the Directive in its own legislation, either by enacting new laws or by amending existing ones. The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and other confederations of trade unions and employers participate in preparatory work on the implementation of directives related to labour in Finland.

This cooperation and negotiations between the confederations in the European Union is called social dialogue. The agreements created through social dialogue are available on SAK’s website (in Finnish and Swedish).

Finnish trade union confederations have representatives at the EU level , such as those in the European Economic and Social Committee, as well as in advisory bodies related to occupational safety and health, labour mobility and training.

FinUnions represents Finnish employees and trade unions in the EU

The trade union confederations SAK and STTK have a joint EU representation in Brussels, FinUnions (in Finnish and English). FinUnions is tasked with safeguarding the interests of Finnish employees and informing Finnish organisations about the activities and decisions of the EU.

FinUnions keeps an eye on labour market issues in EU institutions in cooperation with the confederations and trade unions representing Finnish employees. FinUnions also cooperates with the European labour movement umbrella organisation ETUC.

International employee organisations

International employee organisations include:

• Nordic countries:
  Council of Nordic Trade Unions NFS
• Europe:
  European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
• International:
  International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
  The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD

SAK is a member of all of these international organisations, along with some of the other Finnish trade union confederations.

The International Labour Organisation ILO

The International Labour Organisation ILO promotes social fairness and human rights in labour and improves the position and working conditions of employees all over the world. It also develops international labour standards.

ILO is the only tripartite organisation of the United Nations (UN). In addition to the governments of the UN members, representatives of employees and employers from different countries take part in ILO’s decision-making. Finland is one of the member states of ILO.

ILO’s agreements and recommendations form a set of international labour standards. This means they are the baseline for all labour legislation in Finland as well. ILO has approved approximately 400 agreements and recommendations. Finland has adopted or ratified around 100 of these agreements. ILO’s agreements have had a significant impact on Finnish labour legislation.

ILO has defined a set of fundamental labour rights that form the basis of international labour standards. These fundamental rights are the freedom of association, the elimination of forced labour, the abolition of child labour, the elimination of discrimination, and a safe and healthy working environment.

Are you interested in participating in international policymaking?

You can influence labour and human rights worldwide. We can all exert influence in social media and various networks, and participate in projects and events together with non-governmental organisations.

The Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland SASK

You can also effect change via The Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland SASK. SASK is a development cooperation organisation of Finnish trade unions. It contributes to improving human rights in the workplace around the world: reducing poverty, child labour, forced labour, and other workplace issues. SASK’s goal is a living wage for all.

SASK cooperates with trade union movements in various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. SASK supports and promotes trade unions in different countries so that they can improve the status of workers.

Finnish trade unions – possibly your trade union as well – support SASK’s work. Anyone interested in human rights and the opportunity to make a difference can support and participate in SASK’s activities. For example, you can join SASK as a supporting member or learn more about SASK’s work as a SASK ambassador.