Finland

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected and compiled by employers' associations and by the Tilastokeskus (Central Statistical Office - CSO), and published by the CSO.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover:

constitutional or official strikes
unofficial strikes
sympathetic strikes
political or protest strikes
general strikes
work stoppages initiated by employers
rotating or revolving strikes
working to rule
go-slows
overtime bans
sit-ins
blockades

Figures are collected and published separately with respect to sympathetic strikes, lockouts, go-slows, overtime bans and blockades.

Minimum threshold Duration of at least one hour.

Economic activities

No particular branches of economic activity or sectors are excluded.

Workers

Workers directly involved and workers indirectly involved (separate figures available). In addition to regular paid employees, including part-time workers, the statistics cover temporary, casual and seasonal workers. Unpaid family workers, workers laid off, workers absent on sick leave or annual leave or any other legal absence from work are not included.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

number of strikes and lockouts
number of economic units involved
number of workers involved
duration
time not worked
type of dispute
cause of dispute
outcome of dispute
method of settlement
wages lost
groups of employees (white- or blue-collar)
name and address of establishment
branch of economic activity

Concepts and definitions

Labour dispute

A dispute between employees or organizations of employees and employers or organizations of employers concerning any one or several of the following: temporary work stoppage, refusal to work, go-slows, or some other means of exerting pressure with a view to enforcing a demand.

Strike

A temporary work stoppage by employees.

Lockout

A temporary work stoppage by employers.

These are working definitions used for statistical purposes.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike or lockout is the case of dispute. The resumption of a strike or lockout that is interrupted but later begins again, still due to the same case of dispute, is treated as the same strike or lockout if the interruption does not exceed two days. Beyond that delay, it is treated as a new strike or lockout.

Work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously in either different establishments of the same enterprise or establishments of different enterprises are counted as the same strike or lockout if the organizer is the same. Those arising from the same case of dispute, but occurring at different times either in different establishments of the same enterprise or in establishments of different enterprises are counted as separate strikes or lockouts if there are at least two days between the beginning of each occurrence. Otherwise they are treated as the same strike or lockout.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment, a statistical standard used in the Standard Industrial Classification 1979 (ISIC, Rev. 2, 1968) and in the register of enterprises and establishments.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is the maximum number of workers that took part during the course of the action, even if some workers participated for only part of the duration. Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in work hours or workdays from the date the action began in the first economic unit involved to the date it terminated in the last one.

Time not worked

Total time not worked is measured in workdays, by ascertaining the total amount of time not worked on each day of the action and summing these totals. It is measured in work hours in the primary data, which are then converted to workdays by dividing by eight. Time not worked is measured for all workers involved, whether directly or indirectly. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are taken into account as time not worked is measured in work hours. Overtime is not taken into account.

Classifications

Cause of dispute

wage or salary demand, lagging rates of pay, piece or other rates
cut in labour force, lay-off or threat of cut or lay-off
work study, management, working arrangements
working conditions, labour protection
other internal cause
union collective bargaining agreement
sympathetic action
other

Outcome of dispute

employees' demands accepted
employers' demands accepted
compromise between parties
state arbitrator's conciliation accepted
other external arbitrator's conciliation accepted
unresolved

Method of settlement

between parties to the conflict
through labour market organizations
other way
set duration

Branch of economic activity

The data are classified by branch of economic activity using the CSO's SIC 1979 (ISIC, Rev. 2, 1968). In the case of a general strike, the branch of economic activity is defined together with the central labour organizations on the basis of the industrial composition of the strike or, in the case of a strike by one industry, by the union concerned.

Occupational group:

white-collar workers
blue-collar workers

Number of workers involved

fewer than 10
10 to 100
101 to 500
501 to 1,000
1,001 to 5,000
over 5,000

Duration

for national uses:

4 hours and less
more than 4 hours and up to 8 hours
more than 8 hours and up to 5 days
more than 5 days to 10 days
more than 10 days to 30 days
more than 30 days
duration cannot be determined

for international uses (in workdays):

less than 1
1 to 2
3 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 50
over 50

Time not worked

(in workdays)

less than 20
20 to 99
100 to 1,000
1,001 to 5,000
over 5,000

Type of dispute

strike
sympathetic strike
lockout
blockade
overtime ban
go-slow
other

Other

by province
by employees' association
by employers' association
whether negotiations prior to labour dispute
whether the collective agreement valid
whether trade union consented
whether advance notice of dispute given to opposing party or state
arbitrator by type of labour dispute (strike, refusal to work overtime, other)

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled for periods of a month and published for periods of a month, a quarter and a year. They refer to action beginning during the particular reference period plus action continuing from the previous period.

Analytical measures

number of workers involved per labour dispute
number of workers involved per 100 employed persons
number of working days idle per worker involved

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Tilastokeskus (Central Statistical Office): SVT: Työmarkkinat (Labour Market Series): Työtaistelut (Labour Disputes) (quarterly and annual).

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes and lockouts, the number of workers involved, the number of days not worked and rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is no legal obligation to report the occurrence of a strike or lockout. Data collection falls into three categories:

establishments of organized employers: employers use their own forms for labour dispute notices, reporting through the employers' organization to the Finnish Employers' Confederation, and directly to CSO; about 90 per cent of labour dispute data is collected in this way
establishments of unorganized employers (usually small enterprises with few employees): data are obtained using the CSO labour dispute reporting form
public sector (central and local government): data are obtained using the CSO labour dispute reporting form

In addition, the CSO addresses direct enquires to unorganized employers and the public sector as a result of newspaper reports. Information from employee organizations submitted to the CSO, or specifically requested by it, may also be used.