Railways across Finland and the capital’s metro, buses and trams will be completely shut down on February 2, trade unions announced on Friday, as part of a major strike against the government’s proposed labor reforms.
Work stoppages have been ongoing since August 2023 in protest of reform proposals, and are expected to culminate in a few days in early February, bringing much of the country to a standstill.
The Union of Public and Welfare Workers (JHL), which has around 165,000 members, announced on Friday that the strike on trains, subways, trams and buses would last for one day.
A “major strike in the energy sector” will also take place “in early February,” the paper said.
“A large number of companies responsible for building and maintaining the power grid are participating in the strike,” it added.
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The coalition government, led by Conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, says Finland needs an “export-led labor market model” to “improve its long-term competitiveness”.
The group said it was planning changes to Finland’s collective bargaining rules and would “explore ways to deter industrial action.”
Unions had already planned to shut down air traffic on February 1 and 2, as well as schools and health services, affecting industry, retail, restaurants and hotels.
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On January 31st, childcare workers will also go on strike.
JHL announced on Friday that work will also be suspended on February 1 at the railway yard and at the ports of Hamina and Kotka.
Last week, the government announced it would appoint a working group to prepare “legal reforms”.
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“The reforms that the government is pushing forward will only benefit employers,” JHL interim president Hakan Ekström said on Friday.
“The government does not negotiate, it orders. The large-scale strikes are the result of government policy,” he said.
Po/Rocks