UPM Plywood and the Industrial Union have signed a business specific collective labour agreement for UPM Plywood. The new agreement is valid for three years starting from 1.1.2022.
The new agreement enables mills to continue production on all weekdays with terms that are satisfactory to both parties. The production output and the employees’ earnings will grow based on the new agreement. In addition, more people will be recruited to the mills. The agreement makes continuous seven-day shift model possible, and this means less working hours compared to the current discontinuous model, and the new agreement allows a shift model that is more employee-friendly. The agreement enables faster reaction to demand peaks thanks to flexible working hours, and it includes mutually agreed terms for production during holidays. Furthermore, a model for temporary work at other UPM Plywood mills was agreed on improving on-the-job learning and development as well as employees’ earnings.
The negotiations were conducted in good collaboration and the agreement was reached within the planned timeframe well before the end of the current collective labor agreement.
“This agreement is a significant step in the renewal of the Finnish collective bargaining culture and the development of Finnish working life. Competition for talent is fierce, and with a fair agreement and a good benefit package we want to ensure an equal employee experience for the entire personnel of UPM Plywood in Finland. The new collective labor agreement recognizes both business and mill specific needs. I am especially happy that many of the new ideas in the agreement came directly from our own employees”, says Mika Kekki, Executive Vice President, UPM Plywood.
“We thank UPM Plywood’s negotiation team for constructive negotiations. The solution protects the strengthening of employees’ purchasing power and the collective agreement continues to define the minimum terms of employment also in the future,” says Jyrki Alapartanen, Head of wood products sector, Industrial Union.
The Finnish Forest Industries Federation gave up its role as a social partner at the end of 2020 and the negotiations were shifted to company level. Instead of industry specific collective agreements, the negotiations are done between companies and unions representing their employees. UPM Plywood’s agreement is the first collective labour agreement negotiated in this way within the UPM group.
For further information, please contact:
Mika Kekki, Executive Vice President, UPM Plywood Oy, tel. +358 40 5455803
Jyrki Alapartanen, Head of wood products sector, The Industrial Union, tel. +358 40 5877563
UPM, Media Relations
Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00 EET
tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
UPM Plywood
UPM Plywood offers high quality WISA® plywood and veneer products for construction, vehicle flooring, LNG shipbuilding, parquet manufacturing and other industrial applications. In 2020 UPM Plywood sales was EUR 400 million and it had 2,100 employees. UPM has five plywood mills and one veneer mill in Finland as well as plywood mills in Russia and Estonia. – www.wisaplywood.com
WISA, WISA WOODSAT and WOODSAT are trademarks of UPM Plywood.
UPM
We deliver renewable and responsible solutions and innovate for a future beyond fossils across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Plywood. As the industry leader in responsibility, we are committed to the UN Business Ambition for 1.5°C and the science-based targets to mitigate climate change. We employ 18,000 people worldwide and our annual sales are approximately EUR 8.6 billion. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. UPM Biofore – Beyond fossils. www.upm.com
Follow UPM on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | #UPM #biofore #beyondfossils
