Page 79 - Työpoliittinen aikakauskirja 3 2017

Työpoliittinen aikakauskirja 3/2017 English Summaries
English summaries
Continuities and conjunctures of Finnish Industrial Relations
Tapio Bergholm, Ph.D. (History), D.Soc. Sc., (Sociology), Docent, Senior Re- searcher
This article looks at the making of Finnish
industrial relations after the Second World War.
Central question is “Which are national pecu- liarities of Finnish Industrial Relations? “
In Finland con ictual four-partite co-op- eration (consisting of state, farmer’s organisa- tions, employers organisations and trade unions) in period 1945-1955 is more useful framework than tripartite co-operation introduced by International Labour Organisation (ILO). In tripartite framework farmers are not included. Cross-Class alliances in unemployment insur- ance and statutory earnings-related pension reforms 1960-1961 were essential in the making of the Finnish model into general political exchange.
The institutional procedures of Finnish indus- trial relations were gradually made through stra- tegic and critical conjunctures into a double bond.
To conclude the Finnish peculiarities of these procedures: 1) after the Second World War state has had permanent interest, active involvement and strong in uence into incomes distribu- tion policies, especially into wage policy and 2) Finnish industrial relations parties got gradually stronger power to plan, to reform and even to administer incomes related social security.
This double bond was a framework, where the introduction of incomes policy was not a major turning point but an evolutionary step based on earlier policy concertation, general political exchange or cross-class alliances.
Recent developments are probably a major turning point, when private sector employers’ organization Confederation of Finnish Industries has terminated in February 2017 majority of gen- eral-purpose agreements with trade union cen- tral organizations.
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