Collective agreements
The minimum condition that must be followed in employment contracts and relationships are defined in a collective agreement. It defines e.g. salaries, bonuses, working hours, annual leave, and compensation for public holidays, as well as other key employment conditions. Separate negotiations are conducted for each agreement by trade unions and negotiation organizations formed by trade unions.
SuPer represents practical nurses and social and health care professionals with vocational upper secondary qualifications both locally and in national collective bargaining.
Which collective agreement do I apply?
SuPer negotiates on behalf of its members for eight different collective agreements in the public and private sectors. The public sector includes the state, municipalities, and wellbeing services counties. Employers include institutions and workplaces that are not corporate entities. Examples of public sector workplaces include health centers, hospitals, daycares, and municipal schools.
The SOTE agreement is the largest collective agreement in the social and health care sector, covering approximately 181,000 employees. The collective agreement is applied to social and health care personnel. The SOTE agreement came was established on September 1, 2021.
The SOTE agreement defines the terms of employment, such as working hours and salary.
The collective agreement for social and health care personnel can be found in electronic form on the website of Kunta- ja hyvinvointialuetyönantajat KT.
The General Collective Agreement for the Welfare Sector, HYVTES, is one of the agreements applied in welfare areas and organizations. HYVTES replaces the general terms of employment of the Local Government Collective Agreement (KVTES) in welfare areas and organizations. HYVTES includes provisions on general terms of employment that apply to all employees working in welfare areas and organizations. These include provisions on annual leave, official and work leave, and parental leave. In addition, the agreement includes provisions on the welfare areas’ and organizations’ union and occupational health and safety representatives.
In addition, it is applied to approximately 26,000 employees. The largest professional groups covered by the agreement include fire and rescue personnel, office and administrative staff, and food service personnel.
HYVTES 2023-2025 can be found in electronic version in Finnish on the website of Kunta- ja hyvinvointialuetyönantajat KT.
The Municipal Collective Agreement (KVTES) is followed in municipalities and joint municipal authorities. KVTES defines the terms of employment for both officials and employees (e.g. working hours, annual leave, salary, official leaves and work holidays, etc.).
After 1.9.2021, early childhood educators are the largest group of personnel covered by KVTES. School assistants also belong to this collective agreement.
KVTES 2022–2025 can be found in Finnish: Kunta- ja hyvinvointialuetyönantajat KT and Swedish: AKTA.
The collective agreement applies to companies engaged in staff leasing to municipalities and welfare areas. The companies are at least 50 % publicly owned.
The private sector includes companies, including state or municipally-owned companies, businesses, and foundations. Examples of jobs in the private sector include elderly care homes, mental health and substance abuse units, home care, day care, private hospitals and health centers, and rehabilitation facilities.
The private social services sector collective agreement is applied in social service units such as private elderly and disabled care homes, nursing homes, shelters, daycares, home care services, and various social and health organizations.
The private social services sector collective agreement is generally binding, which means that even an employer who is not a member of the employer’s association is obligated to follow it. The collective agreement can be found in the link below.
The collective agreement for the health service sector is applied in, among others, private hospitals, private practices and health centers, rehabilitation facilities, and health spas. The collective agreement for the health service sector is generally binding, which means that even employers who are not members of the employer association must adhere to it. The collective agreement can be found at the link below.
In the fall of 2024, negotiations began for a collective agreement for the private early childhood education sector. The negotiating parties are the employer association Sivistysala ry and the employee representatives SuPer, JHL, OAJ, and Talentia. Information about the new collective agreement will be provided once it has been negotiated.
At the moment, private early childhood education is still subject to prior collective agreements, such as the Private Social Services Collective Agreement SOSTES.
The collective agreement of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) is a company-specific agreement and is applied to employees working at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The collective agreement is valid from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025. The negotiating parties are FIOH, the employer association Hyvinvointiala HALI ry, Sote ry, JUKO, JHL, and Jyty. Negotiations for a new collective agreement are currently underway, with Sote ry’s main objectives being wage increases, as well as various textual matters.
The FIOH is a research and expert institute in the field of occupational health and safety, aiming to promote the work ability, health, and quality of life of the working-age population. The job titles include e.g. office, laboratory, and expert tasks.
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