The local-level lobbying of senior salaried employees is mainly based on personal negotiations and agreements.
The senior salaried employees’ representative at the local level may be:
- A shop steward or a contact person set out in the collective labour agreement concluded by YTN
- an elected representative referred to in the Finnish Employment Contracts Act
- a contact person based on the Basic Agreement concluded by YTN
Shop steward (contact person) represents the senior salaried employees of a workplace in all matters related to the employment relationship and in issues relating to the application of the collective labour agreement. They also have the right to make local agreements within the range of the collective labour agreement, which are binding on the senior salaried employees of the workplace. According to collective labour agreements, a shop steward must belong to a YTN union.
The duties of an elected representative cover the duties of employees’ representative governed by labour legislation and normally handled by shop stewards. In addition, employees may separately by majority decision authorise an elected representative to represent them in certain matters relating to employment relationships and working conditions. An authorisation must always be given separately. A corresponding separate authorisation is not needed when a contact person defined in the Basic Agreement represents senior salaried employees.
The contact persons appointed based on the Basic Agreement act as senior salaried employees’ representatives in joint employment relationship matters concerning senior salaried employees. They may also act as a senior salaried employee’s representatives in a matter concerning a single employment relationship, but in that case a separate authorisation by the senior salaried employee is required. They also need a similar authorisation to conclude local agreements. YTN recommends that a contact person based on the Basic Agreement is always also appointed as the elected representative set out in the Employment Contracts Act. This way more flexible local negotiations are made possible and the extended protection from employment termination is secured for the negotiator. Detailed policies should be checked from the responsible counsel of the contract field.