Negotiations have continued throughout the beginning of the year, but issues related to contractual texts and the salary solution remain unresolved. Objectives presented by Sivista, representing the employer side, that would weaken terms and conditions of employment, together with an unwillingness to negotiate, have made the talks challenging. YTN has presented concrete settlement proposals and has been prepared to make constructive compromises in order to reach an agreement.
Strike notice issued by YTN: The Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN issued a strike notice on 1 April concerning Savonia University of Applied Sciences. A one-day strike will be organised at Savonia on Thursday 16 April.
All work duties at the university will be subject to strike action unless a new collective agreement is reached before then in the ongoing conciliation process. The strike would affect both expert and support staff as well as teaching staff. The Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ) has also issued a strike notice with the same content. If the strike is implemented, YTN will provide further information separately to those working at the university of applied sciences concerned closer to the date of the strike.
The conciliation situation is currently challenging. The employer union Sivista has put forward proposals that would clearly weaken both terms and conditions of employment and pay, making it impossible to conclude an agreement on that basis. In order to speed up conciliation, a strike notice has therefore been issued.
No agreement has yet been reached on the level or timing of salary increases. In the majority of YTN’s sectors, and consequently also for TEK members, the 2026 salary increases have already been paid, but at universities of applied sciences there is a risk that salary increases will be delayed. The employer’s demands that weaken employment terms have prevented agreement on both contractual texts and salary increases. Sivista has proposed several deteriorations also affecting expert and support staff and has not taken into account any of the proposals put forward by YTN.
The issue is therefore not limited solely to deteriorations related to teachers’ pay, even though these have received public attention. YTN’s negotiators have presented several comprehensive settlement proposals without response. The chief negotiator represents TEK. Any announced industrial actions will naturally be ended or cancelled immediately once a new collective agreement is reached.
A collective agreement is important because it governs terms of employment with monetary value, such as salary increases, holiday bonus, reimbursement of travel expenses, family leave, and pay during sick leave.
Your employer has been notified of the strike, and you do not need to inform them yourself of your participation. You will receive further instructions from your shop steward or from YTN’s questions and answers pages.
Where can I get more information or answers to my questions?
Questions related to industrial action can be sent to YTN’s duty email at lakko@ytn.fi or by calling YTN’s strike helpline at +358 9 427 277 66. Our helpline is open on weekdays from 10:00 to 14:00. Up-to-date information is available by following the YTN Universities of Applied Sciences sector page and YTN’s news.