Continuous Dialogue and Work Community Development Plan

The Act on Co-operation within Undertakings requires continuous dialogue between the employer and the employees. The dialogue means dealing with matters between the employer and the employee representative that promotes sufficient and timely flow of information between the employer and the employees and the employees´ possibilities to influence in matters that concern their employment, work conditions or position.

Regular dialogues must be arranged between the employer and the employee representative at least quarterly and in companies employing less than 30 employees at least twice a year. If the employees do not have a representative, dialogue must be arranged at least once a year. A work community development plan must be drafted in conjunction with the dialogue.

The following topics must be handled in the dialogue:

1. Future prospects and financial situation of the company or work community

2. Workplace rules, practices and principles

3. Usage of workforce and personnel structure

4. Competence needs of employees and development of competence

5. Maintenance and promotion of workplace well-being

6. Certain matters due to other legislation such as collecting personal data during recruitment and during employment, camera and access control and principles of using email and data network

The dialogue is implemented in a meeting between the employer and the employee representative that the employer is responsible for arranging. The contents and practical realization are defined more specifically at workplaces. Both parties may bring matters up for discussion. An initiative to begin a dialogue made by the employee representative must be handled in the next meeting, unless otherwise agreed or there is a large amount of initiatives. If the employee representative´s initiative has been made later than two weeks before the meeting, the employer has the right to postpone the handling of the matter to the next meeting. The postponement of the handling must be informed to the employee representative that has made the initiative.

Information that must be given for the dialogue:

• In order to engage in a successful dialogue, the employer must give all necessary information relating to the matter that can be reasonably given and that the employer is entitled to give

• Information must be given at least a week before the meeting, unless otherwise agreed

• Employee representatives have the right to receive more specified information on relevant points regarding the matter

Documentation of the dialogue:

• Upon the employee representative´s request, the employer must ensure that minutes are kept on the matters handled in the dialogue. The minutes of the meeting must contain at least the date, persons that attended, main contents of the dialogue and a possible conclusion achieved in the matter or differing views of the parties.

• The request to document the dialogue must be presented no later than at the beginning of the meeting. The minutes are endorsed to be kept even if no request has been presented.

• The parties must inspect and sign the minutes, unless otherwise agreed.

Informing:

• The employer must, in required extent, inform the employees of the matters handled in the dialogue and of the measures that have been seen necessary in the dialogue.

• The employer and the employee representative must strive to agree on the principles of informing. The quality and scale of the matter and significance of the matter to the employees must be taken into account in the informing.