The Swedish Parliamentary Group holds its summer meeting this week. The Parliamentary group visits the Fortum power plant in Lovisa and Neste in Porvoo.
– We should aim for an employment rate of 80 per cent, similar to what they have in the other Nordic countries. The difference between them and us is a more flexible labor-market. We need to continue the reforms. Local labor agreements are important to create the flexibility we need. We want to see better conditions for local agreements, also for small- and medium-sized enterprises. This should also come with stronger workforce representation in the corporate management teams, following the Swedish model. The unemployment benefits should be reformed so that they becomee more encouraging, says Anders Adlercreutz, Chair of the Parliamentary Group .
-The Swedish People’s Party wants to see a successful Finland. The brutal war Russia is waging in the Ukraine concerns us all, but we still need to continue building up our own country while that is happening. The SFP wants to safeguard growth, strengthen Finnish competitiveness and work for an optimistic view of the future. Our country needs more people working, more investments that create jobs and a tax- and social-policy that encourages work. These things create the foundation for a successful and healthy Finland, says Anna-Maja Henriksson, Minister of Justice and the Chair of the Swedish People’s Party of Finland.
According to Anna-Maja Henriksson it is especially in the small- and medium-sized enterprises that new jobs are created. That is the reason we have to give Finnish industry and local companies the best possible conditions to succeed.
– Hard work should always be worth it. Our taxation should encourage entrepreneurship. The corporate tax rate should be competitive. Profits that are invested back into the company should be taxed at a lower rate, for instance 15%. Start-ups should also be freed from corporate taxes, for instance during the first two-three years. It is also vitally important that we support research and development. In light of all this the tax deductions for small- and medium-sized enterprises that the government already has decided are very important, says Henriksson.
Adlercreutz points out that the labor shortage is real in many sectors of the economy and that Finland needs labor immigration.
– It is time to send the system with means tested labor immigration to the dustbin of history. By getting rid of the means testing for labor immigration the sectors that suffer from labor shortage will have a much easier time finding workers. The Finnish Immigration Service isn’t working today. We need to open up a separate way for labor immigration, says Adlercreutz.
– We also have to get rid of the practical obstacles for asylum seekers who want to work. The SFP wants to give an opportunity to every Ukrainian immigrant who wants to work, and therefore all unnecessary obstacles need to be gotten rid of, says Henriksson.
During the summer meeting the Swedish Parliamentary Group will have discussions on different alternatives to fight inflation and strengthen the purchasing power of the Finnish population as it has been suffering greatly because of the rising inflation and higher energy costs.
