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The Committee notes the Government’s report and the comments of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Confederation of Unions for Professionals and Managerial Staff in Finland (AKAVA), the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) and the Commission for Local Authority Employers (KT) included therein.

Article 3 of the Convention. Objective job evaluation. With respect to the projects on the development of pay systems, undertaken with financial support from the European Social Fund, the Committee notes that the “Equality for pay, TAPAS 2008–11” of the Helsinki University of Technology aims to develop pay systems on the basis of job evaluation and the employee’s performance supporting equal pay for 16 to 20 organizations from different industrial and collective agreement sectors; results will be complied in a practical guidebook. The survey under the project “Equal pay, equality and new pay systems – SATU 2008–10” of the Labour Institute for Economic Research, on the impact of the new pay systems on gender differences in pay at various stages of individual careers and lives in the public and the private sectors, is due to be completed in 2010. The Committee asks the Government to provide a summary of the findings of the research undertaken under SATU and TAPAS projects, as well as a copy of the practical guidebook on pay systems supporting equal pay under the TAPAS project.

With respect to the public sector, the Committee notes that according to KT the basis for determining position-specific salaries in collective labour agreements in civil servant salaries and other collective labour agreements in the municipal sector is primarily the degree of competence required for the position, taking into account competence factors such as knowledge, skills, the impacts and responsibilities involved and working conditions. A survey by EK showed that all collective agreements in the local municipal sector included remuneration systems based on the assessment of the competence requirements of the positions. In some 90 per cent of the cases, the assessment system in use was based on a shared view of the employer and the employee representative, and 80 to 90 per cent of the position-specific salaries were based on a systematic assessment of position-specific competence requirements. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide detailed information on the implementation and impact of competence and performance-based pay systems in the public sector, including relevant statistical information.

Scope of comparison. The Committee notes from the Government’s report that the surveys conducted on equal pay reviews indicate that 65 per cent of workplaces that have conducted an equal pay review had compared the wages of women and men in various professional categories, while 45 per cent had compared wages of women and men in various employee categories; one quarter had compared wages of women and men in different departments. The instructions issued by the Ombudsman for Equality for comparing the wages of men and women across the boundaries set by collective labour agreements are, however, proving to be a challenge, and survey results indicate that only 17 per cent of the workplaces had conducted such a comparison. The Committee further notes that a survey by EK on collective agreements in the local municipal sector showed that for the purpose of assessing position-specific competence requirements, the basis of comparison remuneration systems was primarily conducted within the salary group; in some 10 to 22 per cent of the cases remuneration systems were compared across salary groups, within the framework of the entire sector. For the purpose of ensuring equal remuneration for work of equal value, the Committee asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged, together with the social partners, to enable a comparison of jobs performed by men and women on the broadest possible basis, including comparisons across different collective agreements, across salary groups and across different sectors.

Impact of the collective bargaining system on equal pay. The Committee notes that the Finnish collective bargaining system has moved from centralized income policy settlements to sectoral collective bargaining. It also notes that according to EK, all collective labour agreements on civil servant salaries and other collective labour agreements in the municipal sector valid from 1 October 2007 to 31 of January 2010 include a component on promoting equal pay, and that following the collective bargaining round of 2007, the Government made additional contributions towards pay increases in sectors predominantly employing women in the public sector, in particular care personnel and librarians. The Committee further notes that both the Government and the social partners find it too early to assess the impact of the collective bargaining round on pay equality between men and women. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on contributions towards pay increases in the public sector, the use of collective agreements to promote equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, and on the impact of the sectoral collective bargaining system on differences in pay between men and women.

Enforcement. Parts III and IV of the report form. The Committee asks the Government to continue to supply information on the number, nature and outcomes of cases concerning equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value decided by the competent administrative authorities and the courts.