Trade Union News from Finland
Tekijä (11.10.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) In June this year, Finland got a new Government. It is composed of right-wing and far-right parties, led by PM Petteri Orpo and the Minister of Finance Riikka Purra.
From the very start, it has been difficult to determine exactly where ministers stand on the question of racism. One minister has had to resign after being exposed flirting with nazi voters.
However, now the Orpo-Purra Government is moving on to their real goal: to undermine employees' status in labour laws, and restrict the right to strike. These changes go hand in hand with drastic cuts in social welfare, in particular to earnings-related unemployment benefits and housing allowance.
Tekijä (11.10.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) One of the main targets of the Orpo-Purra Government is to weaken employment security. They want to make working life more insecure and precarious.
By cutting dramatically both employment and social security, they calculate that employers will have a submissive reserve of workers ready to do whatever work under whatever conditions.
It can take time to find steady employment. Casual jobs are a typical way to get into working life. There are many immigrants and young people among those in casual jobs.
Tekijä (13.09.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) Since June, Finland has had a very right-wing government led by PM Petteri Orpo. It combines swinging the balance in the labour market in favour of employers and company owners with making life harder for immigrants.
As one of their most urgent tasks, the government plans to curb the right to strike this autumn. One plan is to limit the right to conduct political strikes. According to the Government Programme, this right shall be limited to one day.
The same urgency concerns union solidarity actions. These should be "proportionate in relation to the objectives" and "only affect the parties to the labour dispute". This would mean goodbye to solidarity actions for weaker unions in need.
Tekijä (13.09.2023 - Heikki Jokinen) The right to strike is one of the most crucial instruments in the trade union movement’s toolbox. It is the last resort for wage and salary earners should collective bargaining fail.
The Finnish constitution guarantees the freedom to organise in a trade union. The right to strike is also guaranteed under Finnish legislation.
A strike means employees temporarily stop work. It can be a total work stoppage or cover only some part of the work done in the company or in the branch. The union decides the form, length and coverage of the strike. A strike is always a collective measure, not individual.
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