STUDY The Country Report of Finnish Trade Unions 2012 Strong Trade Union Movement in Gradual Decline TAPIO BERGHOLM November 2012 n The dynamics of Finnish industrial relations have changed substantially over the last decades. In the 1970s and 1980s Finland was in the top league of industrial conflicts in Western Europe. In the early 1990s the number of strikes went down dramatically. This low level of industrial conflict has also prevailed in this millennium in Finland. n At present, there are three main trade union confederations: AKAVA, organising mainly employees with higher educational levels, has recently gained new strength. In contrast, membership levels are stagnating in the cross-sectoral STTK(manufac­turing industry, private services and the public sector) and declining in the SAK, the largest trade union confederation(construction and manufacturing industries, public and private service sector). n The Finnish trade union confederations have still much negotiating power concern­ing, in particular, social issues such as pensions, unemployment insurance, parental leave etc. Their power is traditionally connected to tripartite negotiations of legis­lation in these fields and to the fact that collective agreements are generally and universally binding. In addition, unemployment funds are traditionally connected to trade unions. International Trade Union Policy