The UJF has said that the proposed revamping of the law contains problematic areas, in particular concerning the lengthening of employees’ probationary periods on starting work and cutting the obligatory period for re-employing employees following lay-offs.The latter rule ensures that employees can be re-employed within a nine-month timeframe, if an employer is seeking new workers for work of a similar nature carried out by employees who had been given notice.The union also takes issue with the government’s proposals on altering the form and duration of employment contracts.“The proposed measures will only undermine the position of employees,” said UJF head of advocacy Petri Savolainen. He stressed that the government had ignored the customary tripartite input, involving representatives of employees, employers and government, on drafting labour legislation.The union points out that the draft proposals fail to include any impact assessment of the implementation of the new measures.