Finland’s massive strike movement began on Thursday, grounding most air traffic and closing workplaces in protest of the government’s proposed labor reforms, including cuts to social security.
Approximately 300,000 people are expected to participate in the two-day strike action.
Amid widespread disruption to air traffic, national carrier Finnair canceled 550 flights, affecting 60,000 passengers.
On Friday, trains across the country, as well as subways, buses and trams in the metropolitan area, were brought to a complete halt, while various labor unions called for a halt to the energy sector, schools and medical services.
Industry, restaurants, hotels, postal workers and other retail sectors and services are also affected.
About 13,000 people gathered in Helsinki on Thursday at a protest called by the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), police said.
“The biggest problem is that they are trying to weaken the union’s power to negotiate (collective) agreements, which is usually done by the employer’s lawyer and the union’s lawyer,” said protester Henri Mert, 30. says. a sailor told AFP.
Like its Nordic neighbors, Finland is known for its generous benefits model that provides strong protection and benefits for employees.
But the coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orupo insists that an “export-led labor market model” is needed to increase competitiveness.
The unions vowed to paralyze the country in order to force the government to withdraw.
“A strike of this scale, with great losses for the Finnish economy in difficult economic conditions, is excessive and disproportionate,” Olpo told Finnish news agency STT in Brussels, where he was attending the European Union (EU) summit. Told.
The Confederation of Finnish Industry told AFP the strike would cost gross domestic product (GDP) around 360 million euros.
Tina Ivacko, director of a Helsinki daycare center, told AFP that many employees did not come to work on Thursday and parents kept their children at home.
“On a normal day, we have 300 kids and over 50 staff. We have very few kids, maybe 30 or 40, and about half the staff we normally have,” she said. said.
Some travelers went to Helsinki Airport hoping their plane would be among the few to take off.
“It looks like my plane can fly, but if it doesn’t I don’t know what I’ll do. I might take a taxi home and go to work,” engineer Niklas Sinisalo told AFP.
He said the strike was “for a good cause” and didn’t care about the inconvenience.
Many supermarkets remained open, but reduced opening hours and product shortages were expected towards the end of the day.
～Weakening employee rights～
Planned reforms include changes to collective bargaining rules.
Proposed cuts to Social Security include making the first day of sick leave unpaid and cutting unemployment benefits based on income, with benefits decreasing the longer someone is unemployed.
The right to strike would also be restricted and employers’ rights to negotiate local agreements would be expanded.
Marc Sippolla, a senior lecturer in social sciences at the University of Helsinki, said the reform was a “very important change”.
“It weakens the position of employees both in terms of unemployment security, protection against unfair dismissal and the right to strike,” he told AFP.
Pekka Listera, SAK’s head of international affairs, said the government’s proposal would “undermine the livelihoods of low-income people, especially if they lose their jobs.”
Merja Hyvarinen, who attended Thursday’s demonstration wearing a high-vis vest from the public welfare sector union, said she was worried about how the proposed changes would affect her two children.
“If the government changes, we will have a difficult road ahead.”
Strikes, especially those involving white-collar workers, are relatively rare in Finland.