Early childhood education teacher Roosa Tilles sees in her everyday life how her work benefits children, families and society as a whole. She expects the value of the work to also be reflected in salary development and the decisions of municipal decision-makers. This would help the teacher shortage that is bothering the industry subside.

As a class teacher, Esa Ukkola feels that he is doing valuable work for the future. However, during his nearly 30-year career, he has seen the persistence of pupils decrease and the workload of teachers increase. He now hopes that municipal decision-makers will give more funding to education, because the cost is even higher for society if the funding and quality of education are not secured.

Lauri Frank is a researcher whose work benefits Finnish companies directly. It is inspiring and feels meaningful. He hopes that the basic funding of universities will be increased and made sustainable, and that universities will become attractive workplaces that invest in the wellbeing and coping of employees.

OAJ, YTN and FEE are starting negotiations on salary increases for university of applied sciences personnel and the continuation of the collective agreement. The negotiations will start on 28 January with a joint seminar of the negotiating parties.

Negotiations concerning the private early childhood education sector’s own collective agreement started on 17 September 2024. The parties to the negotiations are Finnish Education Employers (FEE), the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL, OAJ, SuPer and Talentia.

The new contract of universities of applied sciences brings a salary increase on 1 May 2024, which secures the development of purchasing power this year. The general increase is 2.7 percent, and the local instalment is 0.4 percent. There will be no weakening of the terms of the employment conditions.

OAJ's Executive Board decided at its meeting last week to organize a political strike on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The strike will be carried out in all early childhood education units in the capital region.

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The aim of the university tour is to hear local viewpoints to support national advocacy work and to discuss current topics concerning academic working life with university management. The first shared university tour of the unions was organised two years ago.

OAJ’s representatives negotiated regarding the private social services sector accession protocol earlier this week, and it was approved by the OAJ Executive Board today.