On Thursday, 13 February 2025, YTN issued a strike warning concerning senior salaried employees in the technology industry in the following companies.
What is a strike warning?
A strike warning is a legal notification of an upcoming strike. A strike will take place if no agreement is reached in collective agreement negotiations before the strike begins. The strike warning does not yet cause any action in the workplace or for the individual.
If the strike takes place, when will it happen?
The contract branch strikes are in certain companies from 28 February, 7 March, 14 March and 21 March. A list of the companies on strike can be found here.
If your workplace is not on the list, you will continue to work as normal. If you are unsure, please contact your shop steward or, alternatively, the YTN strike service lakko@ytn.fi.
When will we know if the strike is going to take place?
The strike will take place if nothing else is announced. A strikebound company should be prepared to go on strike. If an agreement is reached and the strike is cancelled, this will be announced separately.
Who does the strike apply to?
The strike applies to all senior salaried employees in the technology industry working in companies under the strike, unless certain locations are specifically excluded from the strike. Additionally, all work performed at the sites, including rental and subcontracting work in the technology industry’s senior salaried employees’ contract sector, is included in the strike.
The strikes are declared specifically on work, so it does not matter if the person belongs to a union or not. No one is allowed to carry out work that is subject to the strike.
Please note that subcontractors or temporary workers employed in industries other than the technology sector (such as the consulting sector) are not included in the strike.
Will I receive income for the duration of the strike?
The union pays strike allowance to their members for the duration of the strike. The amount of the allowance is EUR 90 per day and it is taxable income. You can apply for the allowance through a separate strike allowance system.
You can apply for the allowance after the strike has ended. Read more about the allowance.
Why has a strike warning been issued?
A strike warning has been issued because the negotiations on the new collective agreement have not led to a result. The aim of the strike warning and the possible strike is to speed up negotiations.
What does YTN want?
YTN and its member unions want salary increases for senior salaried employees that secure the development of purchasing power. This means a salary increase level that exceeds the forecast inflation and tax changes.
YTN wants a salary increase as general increases, i.e. increases that are paid to all employees. YTN does not accept any reductions to the terms of employment.
What has the employer offered?
The employer has not even wanted to discuss an adequate salary settlement.
Why have negotiations not resulted in a solution?
The negotiations began in September. The employer has stuck to their ideological position that all senior salaried employees do not deserve a salary increase. The salary increases offered by the employers are minimal compared to, for example, inflation and the economy. The employer has stuck to their position that legislative amendments must be fully included in the collective agreement, even if this means the weakening of the terms of employment.
YTN would have wanted to reach a negotiated solution, but the other party has not been ready for it.
Are the strike measures illegal?
The measures are legal, as the industrial peace obligation is no longer valid after the arbitration board under the collective agreement concluded its work without results in December. Everyone within the scope of the agreements wants to participate in them.
Do I have to participate in the strikes?
The senior salaried employees working in companies that have been placed on strike must take part in the strikes. Participation is a demonstration against the dictation of the employer and the attitude that weakens the terms of employment. By breaking the strike, you support the employer’s reluctance to conclude a new collective agreement with fair terms.
Do I need to inform my employer of my participation in the strike?
You do not have to. YTN has handled the necessary notifications. Participation in a strike is a legal right, and the employer cannot or may not prevent it.
Where to apply for possible work permits?
Work permits are always applied for by the employer. The YTN Central Strike Committee processes applications within five working days. They are sent to tyoluvat@ytn.fi.
Do I get paid for the duration of the strike?
No salary is paid for the duration of the strike. YTN unions pay strike allowance to their members.
Will the strike affect my annual holiday?
The start of the strike does not interrupt the annual holiday that the employee is already on. The employer must pay the employee their holiday pay and holiday period salary as usual before they go on holiday.
If the strike begins before the agreed annual holiday, the employee will be on strike and the holiday is postponed. If the strike and the previously agreed holiday start on the same day, the employee will be on their annual holiday.
An employee cannot be ordered to start their holiday during the strike.
What if I am on a business trip during the strike?
If you went on a business trip before the strike began, you will return from the trip as normal. During the trip, you will take part in the strike and not do work. You are not permitted to go on a business trip during the strike, and no business trips or travel will be agreed for the duration of the strike.
What if I get sick?
If you fall ill before the strike begins, you must be paid sick pay for the duration of the strike. In this case, immediately deliver a doctor’s certificate and other relevant documents to your employer.
If you fall ill after the strike has already begun, you do not have to be paid sick pay for the strike days. Instead, you are entitled to daily sickness insurance allowance.
The employer threatens or intends to collect lists of names of the people participating in the strike. What should I do?
The employer does not have the right to exert pressure on anyone not to participate in industrial action or to forbid anyone from participating. Threats or collecting lists of names should not be tolerated. Nobody will be punished for participating in legal industrial action, which they are fully entitled to do.
If you become aware of any such threats, please contact your shop steward.
What is a strike?
No work is done during a strike, not at or outside the workplace.
The strike is declared specifically on work. Therefore, the strike applies to everyone at the workplace regardless of union membership.
Who is a picketer?
During a strike, a picketer is a union member who monitors the implementation and organisation of the strike.
Picketers take care of order in front of the striking workplace, share information on the strike, notify people who come to the workplace of the strike, monitor the actions of employers and report to the strike committee of the comments and moods of consumers as well as possible strikebreakers, etc.
Picketers do not have the right to prevent anyone from entering the workplace or from assembling without permission inside the workplace.
Can I be a picketer?
Of course. It is advisable to do so. You can also act as a picketer at the doors of companies where you are not employed. If you are interested in being a picketer, please contact either local shop stewards or our customer service.
Where can I get more information or answers to my questions?
Questions concerning industrial action can be sent to the negotiating organisation’s on-call e-mail address lakko@ytn.fi or asked by calling the YTN strike service at +358 (0)9 427 277 66.
You can find up-to-date information by following YTN’s sector-specific press releases, YTN’s website and YTN’s social media channels. If you have not received any press releases to your email, please check your membership details and your spam folder.
What does a ban on travelling outside of regular working hours mean?
During the ban, all business trips are made during regular working hours. For example, employees will wait until Monday to go on a business trip. This means that all travel takes place during regular working hours.
When the employer orders an employee to go on a business trip, it is done so that the trip takes place during regular working hours. No other trips will be made. The employer cannot order employees to travel in their free time for work-related purposes.
Commuting between home and the workplace is a different matter and may take place outside regular working hours.
The employee is never obligated to travel during their free time; all trips can be scheduled to take place during working hours.
What does the ban on accumulating flexitime balance mean?
A person must follow their regular daily working time in accordance with their employment contract. Work must be carried out only during regular working time.
However, additional or overtime work may be carried out on the employer’s initiative and with the consent of the senior salaried employee, with the idea that if the employer wants flexibility, it will be paid for.
Overtime is overtime, regardless of how it is done or how it is compensated. If the daily regular working time is 7.5 hours or less, work up to 8 hours per day and up to 40 hours per week is considered additional work. Working time exceeding 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week is considered overtime.
If your work includes on-call duty, this is not affected by the ban on accumulating flexitime balance. During on-call hours, only work that has been agreed on in the employment contract or otherwise and that cannot be carried out safely during regular working hours is carried out.
Within the framework of flexible working hours, it is advisable to follow the working time in the employment contract, i.e. there is no flexible hours accumulation. Potential flexible hours can be reduced during the overtime ban, but they cannot be increased. This ban is legal and easy to comply with, as accumulation of the flexitime balance always starts on the employee’s initiative.