Country overview



Workers in companies with more than 150 employees in Finland have the right to participate in management decisions. However, how this is done, whether in a single-tier board, a supervisory board or at operating level, is left to local negotiations. There should be between one and four employee representatives, who must be employees of the company and they should make up a quarter of the body in which they sit. If agreement is not possible, the company itself chooses the form of involvement. However, it must guarantee that employee representatives take part in decision making on the economic future of the company. Both unions and employers were involved in detailed discussions on the implementation of the directive and the final legislation was not contentious.

Employees in many companies in Finland already have a right to representation in the decision-making structures of their companies, in a form which is normally agreed between unions and the employer. The proposals in the directive for employee involvement in European companies were, therefore, non-contentious.

Special negotiating body (SNB)

Standard rules under the fallback procedure

Misuse of procedures and structural change