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The Committee notes the information provided in the Government’s report and in particular the information that new legislation has been promulgated in the area of health and safety, as well as the comments of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK).

Articles 2 and 3 of the Convention. The Committee recalls that in its previous comments it had requested the Government to ensure that trade union shop stewards have the same rights as elected representatives, and to indicate whether trade union representatives can present their candidacy for election as workers’ representatives at the enterprise level. The Committee notes the information contained in the Government’s report that, in practice, employees are generally represented by shop stewards elected pursuant to a collective agreement and that if employees are represented by a shop steward, an elected representative will not be elected separately and the shop steward will have the same rights and status as an elected representative. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether, if the relevant sectoral collective agreement does not contain such rights, shop stewards are entitled to exercise the rights to information, compensation for loss of earnings, and release from work obligations that are guaranteed to elected representatives in section 3 of the Employment Contract Act, 2001.