MANAGING CHANGE IN JOURNALISM INNOVATION AND TRADE UNIONISM IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY Precarious workers and supervision of their interest - Tuuli Vänskä, lawyer

Definitions Employee, self-employed, entrepreneur The Employment Contracts Act defines the employee and employment contract with four main criteria: Employee: works in return for pay or some other remuneration works for an employer (some other person than himself) works under supervision of the employer and the work is done personally by the employee. The definition of the entrepreneur is based on the taxation and pension acts. People who run their own business or contract out their products and services without above mentioned employment contracts are independent contractors/ entrepreneur. There isnt third category of performing work for the self-employed.

What have trade unions done? Tripartite drafting Tripartite drafting of the labour acts. Improvements concerning precarious workforce in legislations is made, but the regulation in general is based on the idea of permanent fulltime employment. There isnt proper definition for the self-employed. What changes in the legislation on working or social issues and pensions are needed to secure the position of precarious workers?

Collective bargaining and agreements The comprehensive incomes policy settings tripartite with the employers union and the government until Collective bargaining and agreements for the employees. Supervision of the interest of the precarious workers? Collective bargaining for the self-employed? Evaluation of the collective agreements to find out the lacks and discriminating conditions.

Suggestion for improvement Trade unions have failed to take precarious workers and their mobility into consideration in social security system. Social security system is based to the idea of fulltime employment. The system has too many gaps, which make it impossible to accept job offers. Precarious work causes working poor, because the systems cant protect them.

Finally Our common concern is that the cheap labour and service user involvement may weak the position of the trade unionism and collective bargaining.