Labor struggles | Finland is going on a widespread strike at the beginning of February – This is how strikes affect everyday life and industry

Unusually extensive strikes will bring Finland to a standstill in the first days of February. Air traffic stops, as do ports and several large factories. The strike also targets, among other things, shops.

Strikes are political. With them, the workers' unions oppose the labor market reforms planned by the government and the weakening of unemployment security.

In this article, we will tell you which sectors are going to have strikes and how they will affect the everyday life of citizens. Some of the strikes are already certain. HS also provides information based on its own sources about the likely coming industrial disputes.

Air service

Strikes by several unions will stop air traffic in Finland on February 1 and 2.

Airline unions announced the strikes on Friday afternoon. Participating in the strikes are the Union of Public and Welfare Sectors JHL, the Trade Union of Service Sectors Pam, the Aviation Union IAU, the Association of Automotive and Transport Workers AKT and the Finnish Transport Pilots SLL.

Public transport and other transport sector

The employees of the AKT union of the car and transport industry are on strike on the 1st and 2nd. February. AKT announced the matter on Friday afternoon.

As for AKT, almost all industries are involved. Included are the truck industry, bus industry, travel maintenance industry, trade drivers, tanker and oil product industry, travel agency industry, terminal operations, freight forwarding industry, service repair shops, AKT Viking Line employees and stevedoring shop clerks, and the stevedoring industry.

Buses will run as normal on Thursday, February 1, as bus traffic and Matkahuolto are outside industrial action at that time. Bus drivers are on strike on Friday.

Shops, hotels and restaurants

The service industry trade union Pam is organizing a strike in shops, hotels and restaurants on Thursday, February 1. The strike also applies to transport stations and real estate and cleaning companies.

According to Pami, the strike applies to, among other things, all S group stores and transport stations, K stores and Lidl and Tokmanni stores.

In the tourism industry, the strike affects hotels and restaurants of the S group, Sokotel and Scandic.

Kesko told HS on Friday that, despite the strike, it will try to keep all its stores open on the day of the strike.

On the other hand, the S group told HS that it is doing preparatory work related to the strike, but estimates of the effects of the strike have not been commented on in more detail so far.

Mara, the trustee of the tourism and restaurant industry, announced on Thursday that the hotels and their restaurants will remain open despite the strike.

According to Pam, the strike does not apply to emergency work or tasks where the strike would endanger vital activities for society. Pam says that she will carry out the strikes so that the pre-voting places for the presidential elections planned in connection with the commercial premises can function normally during the strikes.

Kindergartens

According to HS data The education trade union OAJ would be organizing strikes, which strikes are primarily aimed at early childhood education.

According to HS information, several kindergartens are probably closed at least on February 1 or 2.

The strikes hardly affect the everyday life of the schools, because most of the teachers are office holders. According to the law, office holders are not allowed to participate in political strikes.

Social and health care

According to HS data industrial action is planned for the social and health sector until the beginning of February. Strikes are also possible, but they have not been decided yet.

According to HS sources, the administrations of both Tehy and Super will meet on Monday to decide on their industrial action.

Tehy is proposing strikes to its management until the beginning of February. It is not yet known whether strikes or other industrial action will affect health care, but it is possible.

Tehy is a professional organization of people trained in social, health and education, with more than 160,000 members.

Super includes approximately 85,000 trained professionals in the social, health and education fields who work in the public and private sectors.

Industrial

Teollisuusliitto announced on Thursday that it will organize a strike between 1 and 2. February. The strikes are aimed at several industries in more than 700 locations in different parts of Finland.

Chairman of the Industrial Association Riku Aalton according to the strikes, if they happen, they stop a large part of Finnish industry. According to the union, the strikes do not apply to emergency work or work that is necessary to protect life and health.

On Thursday, the Pro union also announced extensive strikes in industry from 1st to 2nd. February.

According to several sources, Paperiliitto will announce next Tuesday that it will shut down several forest industry factories on February 1.

Already earlier, Teollisuusliitto has told about the strike, which will shut down the Kilpilahti and Kokkola industrial areas in Porvoo for two days on the 1st and 2nd. February. The strike concerns, among other things, Neste's Porvoon refinery and Naantali's terminal operations.

Construction

Rakennusliitto orga
nizes strikes on the 1st and 2nd. February in the capital region. According to the press release sent out on Friday, the scope of the strike includes the work of all contract sectors of Rakennusliitto in Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo.

Emergency work, plumbing maintenance and road maintenance are limited to the strike.

Sähköliitto also organizes strikes on the same days. In industry, the electricity allies are suspending work at approximately 700 workplaces.

The work stoppage in the capital region affects all the works of electric allies in the Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa regions. For example, the construction and maintenance work of the mobile phone network is at a standstill.

Ports

AKT said on Friday that the stevedores will be on strike from 1st to 2nd. February. Also on strike are terminal operations, forwarding industry, service repair shops and AKT's Viking Line employees.