In more than one wellbeing services county, employers have recently been attempting to change the commuting areas of their employees as part of cooperation negotiations. The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland is attempting to push this change through in a particularly concerning manner as part of cooperation negotiations that it has initiated: the employer is proposing to expand the commuting area of all personnel to cover the entire wellbeing services county going forward. This would mean a daily commute of up to hundreds of kilometres, should the employer so decide at a later date.
– This situation is absurd and is indicative of the employer’s attitude. In any male-dominated industry, employees are assigned to a workplace on a permanent basis, but nurses would be expected to travel up to 400 kilometres a day at their own expense and in their own time if their employer so decides, says Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen.
Tehy also disapproves of the way in which the employer is attempting to push the matter forward. The employer has tried to pass these changes off as ‘administrative changes’, even though in reality this would be a major change. As a result, the employer would not even have to negotiate with personnel regarding future changes to their workplaces, even permanent ones, and the employer would make the decision alone.
– The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland is trying to sneak through a change that would give it such authority in the future, even if nothing were to change right now. It smacks of a ploy. However, an employment relationship is a contractual relationship, not one where orders are simply dictated, says Director of Advocacy Jarkko Pehkonen from Tehy, describing the situation.
There is no justification for the change
Tehy is of the view that there is currently no justification or need for the proposed change to the commuting area. For example, since many professionals in specialised health care can only carry out their work at a central hospital, their commuting area must not cover the entire wellbeing services county.
Nor should a professional working in a more remote municipality be suddenly obliged, through a reassignment of their permanent workplace, to commute to a workplace 150 kilometres away and spend their own time and money on commuting. If employees are ordered to travel for work all around the wellbeing services county, this will have an impact on their wellbeing at work and coping.
– It cannot be the case that, while wellbeing services counties are centralising their activities, they at the same time expect employees to be ready to go wherever they are ordered to go. The employer saves money, while the employee pays the price – is this the ultimate goal? asks Director of Advocacy Pehkonen.
This autumn, cooperation negotiations have once again been initiated in several wellbeing services counties as part of next year’s budget planning. Tehy is closely monitoring these processes around Finland.
