In spring 2025, a local element was agreed on in the pay programme of the healthcare and social welfare collective agreement (SOTE agreement), which will increase employees' pay starting from 1 November 2025.
As the process of reforming the pay systems is still ongoing, the postponement of the local element until 1 October 2026 was agreed on in negotiations between the Sote association, the other organisations involved in the agreement, and Local Government and County Employers KT.
The later payment of the local element is compensated for by a percentage-based allowance paid in addition to regular pay. The outcome of the negotiations has been discussed and approved by the management of all the trade unions involved and KT.
Your compensation depends on your earnings
The amount of compensation for the late payment of the local element depends on the collective agreement you work under and your pay.
The local element in the SOTE agreement is 2.0% of the employer's payroll. Due to the agreed delay, the element will be paid by 1 October 2026. The percentage-based allowance for late payment of the element for each employee is calculated based on the employee's total earnings. In the case of the SOTE agreement, it is 2.0% of the total earnings paid.
The payments compensating for the postponement will be made in December 2025 and in January, April, July and October 2026.
The percentage-based allowances to compensate for the delay, which are paid to everyone, will end in October 2026. At that time, a new pay system will be introduced and the element of 2.0% will be adjusted locally to employees' pay, in line with the new system.
A similar progression has been agreed for the pay programme of the general collective agreement for the welfare sector (HYVTES). The compensation for the postponement to all employees and the timetable have also been agreed on. The local element in HYVTES is 1.0% of the employer's payroll.
For more detailed information on how local elements are determined, please see the section on Tehy's website (in Finnish).
The delay is linked to the pay systems reform
The local elements are intended for the purposes of pay reconciliation and pay development in connection with the process of introducing new pay systems. The delay in the payment of local elements is due to the fact that the new pay systems have not yet been finalised.
Enquiries:
Leading Legal Counsel Jarkko Pehkonen, tel. +358 40 531 5464, [email protected]