Following a long period of negotiations and a month of mediation, the new Collective Agreement for Universities was agreed upon on the basis of the settlement proposal put forth by National Conciliator Anu Sajavaara. Reetta Kuosmanen, Chief Negotiator for Research Professionals, explains how the agreement will impact the daily working life of research professionals.
The negotiations on the Collective Agreement for Universities called for the use of organisational measures that are highly exceptional for the sector: a day-long strike was arranged at Tampere University on 7 May. Before a settlement was reached, strike notice at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku had also been announced.
The negotiations were hindered by issues related to salary increases as well as the removal of the teaching hour caps by employers. A teaching hour cap protects teaching and research personnel from having an excessive workload, so it was considered to be a highly important aspect of the agreement.
Reetta Kuosmanen, Chief Negotiator for Research Professionals, who, as part of the JUKO negotiating team, negotiated on the agreement with Finnish Education Employers FEE, tells about the content of the agreement.
The collective agreement negotiations lasted nearly four months. Why did it take so long?
It is always difficult to know at the start of the negotiation process how long it will take. This time, we were at a deadlock on the employer’s proposed removal of the teaching hour caps, a measure that we persistently opposed. At the end of the agreement period, additional time was taken for the negotiations without any threat of labour disputes. The additional time did not help, however, and we were forced to call on the National Conciliator to help us resolve the situation.
Mediation was slow, and it took time to draw up a settlement proposal and reconcile the compromises offered by the parties.
Retaining the teaching hour caps was the primary objective of the negotiations. Was the objective achieved?
The teaching hour caps were retained, as Chapter 5 (the provisions on total working time in the agreement) will remain unchanged with some additions. These additions include the fostering of well-being at work as part of work plans and local agreements on the principles of the work plans.
The conciliation solution includes a supplementary protocol on total working hours. Starting with the work plan for the 2026 academic year, the primary approach will be to agree locally on the principles of the work plan. This will be assured jointly by the employer and shop stewards. This does not exclude, however, the possibility to continue following existing and effective work plan practices. If necessary, these can be changed and confirmed locally.
If no consensus is reached, the employer can initiate a working hour trial to define the teaching duties – not just the actual teaching – and to limit the percentage of working hours as an alternative to the application of Chapter 5.
What are the essential aspects of the agreement?
The agreement includes salary increases based on general increases for the next three years. One important objective for us was for the agreement to include the establishment of a working group to oversee the development of the salary system. This objective will be realised. Additionally, the agreement contains a supplementary protocol on total working hours, which ensures that the teaching hour cap will be retained in the collective agreement.
The conciliation solution’s supplementary protocol contains entries on total working hours. What do they mean?
The total working hour provisions in Chapter 5 of the current collective agreement will remain unchanged. The conciliation solution includes the mentioned supplementary protocol intended to advance working hour planning. Practical changes:
- There will be more local agreement on the principles of work plans.
- Supplementary protocol as part of the conciliation solution
- All work will be stated in the work plans, and they will be updated during the academic period to reflect the actual time spent on the work.
- Working hour plans will be primarily agreed on locally.
- The amount of teaching should not increase.
- Occupational safety will be assured, and workloads will be monitored and addressed if necessary.
- If no local agreement can be reached on the development of work plans, a working hour trial may be carried out in accordance with the aforementioned principles.
Since the spring negotiations were contentious for the parties involved, and an agreement was only reached through mediation, the conciliation solution also includes a five-year future dialogue project. The project aims to create a common situational picture and future outlook shared by the collective bargaining parties and help to rebuild trust between them.
There was a strike at Tampere University on 7 May. Did it have an impact?
The strike had an important impact on the negotiations. Firstly, it opened the door to the National Conciliator’s office. Secondly, it made it concrete that university personnel are serious about salary demands and limiting workloads. Thirdly, it was a signal to the negotiators that we had been advocating for the right things at the negotiating table and later in mediation.
Strikes create pressure to achieve a settlement. The first strike brought a conciliator to the negotiation table, and the threat of a second strike provided the settlement proposal that the parties finally accepted.
The employer suspended the automatic collection of union membership fees as an industrial action. Will the collection of membership fees by the employer be restored?
The industrial actions of both sides ended when an agreement was reached. If you have paid the membership fee yourself for May and it has also been deducted from your salary, please contact us through the E-Services of Research Professionals to get a refund of your payment.
When will the new collective agreement be published?
Finnish Education Employers will handle the layout of the new collective agreement. The conciliation solution contains a so-called memorandum of agreement with a large number of stylistic changes that will not affect interpretations. For example, Chapters 4, 5, and 9 have been revised to a more readable format. It will take some time to integrate these changes into the text. The new Collective Agreement for Universities will be published by Midsummer at the latest.
How will the new agreement affect the working life of researchers and teachers at universities? Is there something I should do now?
It is important that you are able to control your workload and limit your work. Prepare for the coming semester by critically reviewing your work plan. During the academic year, monitor the implementation of your work plan in whatever way is best for you; record what you spend your time on, how the workload is distributed as well as any surprising and unforeseeable events that occur during the year. This will ensure that you are more prepared during the next work plan period to assess your workload and, in particular, to avoid an excessive increase in the amount of teaching. Also share the information you receive with your shop steward so that when they are negotiating on local principles for the work plan, they can base their arguments on actual practice and factual information.
Where can I get help if some aspect of the work plan principles is unclear?
Shop stewards are responsible for participating in local negotiations for the purpose of reaching an agreement on the principles for work plans. As a member of the Union of Research Professionals, you have access to the services and advice of JUKO’s shop stewards. Please reach out to them and openly share your experiences and knowledge so that they can do their best when advocating on your behalf in local negotiations.
I have come across critical statements claiming that the conciliation solution removed the teaching hour caps and allows for an unlimited increase in teaching. Is this true?
This is not true. In the future, your university will still be able to comply with the provisions of Chapter 5 as long as the university in question has had no changes to its teaching hour caps. The greatest fears that have been expressed relate to the trial mentioned in the supplementary protocol, which will be introduced if no agreement is reached locally on work plan principles or regarding the retention of current practices.
The supplementary protocol contains important entries on the significance of work plans and the pursuit of local agreements. The protocol would enable universities to make employer policies that best suit their situation, to build open co-operation, and to strengthen well-being at work. The supplementary protocol also states that even in the case of a trial, the amount of teaching cannot increase in comparison to the previous agreement. It also states that alarming workload situations should be addressed with a low threshold and, if necessary, through a dispute resolution procedure.
The working hour plans and the related local agreement process are an opportunity for the university employers to show that they share our common goal of making universities the best workplaces in the world, at least in terms of working conditions.
How did the terms of employment for doctoral researchers change?
The terms of employment for doctoral researchers remain unchanged. During the coming agreement period, salary development will be overseen by a working group whose results can be expected at the beginning of 2027.
Will everyone receive salary increases or is there something you need to do to get it?
The general increases are for everyone. The general increase will be updated in the tables appended to the collective agreement. The first salary increase, 2.5%, will be applied to everyone on 1 July 2025.
There will be no so-called local increments paid during the first year. At the end of 2026, the employer will pay a local increment as stipulated by the agreement.