Strikes impact the whole of Finland

Politically motivated strikes have spread into industry and transport, among other sectors.

YLE NEWS

11:45  Updated 12:06  https://yle.fi/a/74-20074546?

A wave of trade union strikes expanded significantly in Finland on Wednesday to more labour groups, including the Electrical Workers' Union, the Industrial Union and the Transport Workers' Union.

The political strikes are a series of trade union actions protesting the government's labour market policies and cuts to social welfare.

Transport hit

On Wednesday, Transport Workers' Union bus drivers and maintenance staff began a walkout that will continue into Thursday.

The strike has brought most bus services on local and long-distance routes to a standstill.

 

Public transport has also been hit by a strike staged by the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL) which has halted almost all local services in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere.

Some local services were, however, operating on Wednesday.

Juha-Pekka Häyrynen, head of planning for Tampere's regional public transport authority, Nysse, says that about 18 percent of bus services will run despite the strikes. Some individual tram services will also run in Tampere.

"These strikes have been repeated often enough now that it was felt that it was in everyone's interest to put some tram cars into service," says Häyrynen.

In the capital region, commuter trains are running while some bus services are operating.

The Transport Workers' Union strike, which includes stevedores, has also effectively closed the nation's ports.

Taxis are busy

Taksi Tampere's Managing Director, Tero Kallio, said that the morning had so far been busier for cabbies than during a similar strike two weeks ago.

"The number of advance reservations in the morning is projected to be 10 times higher than normal. So many, in fact, that it is impossible to avoid all disruptions," he told Yle.

For the day as a whole, Kallio estimated that the number of reservations would be twice as high as normal.

No impact on electricity production

A work stoppage by the Electrical Workers' Union is being staged at the Loviisa nuclear power plant.

Arto Pahkin, the manager of network operator Fingrid's main control centre, says the work stoppage itself will not affect electricity production.

Wednesday's shutdown is unlikely to hit consumers' wallets, Pahkin adds, as high levels of wind power are being generated.

Other power utilities with JHL-affiliated union staff, operated by Kuopio Energia, Enersense and Helen are also affected by the strike.

Tens of thousands off the job

Around 10,000 members of Service Union United (PAM) are on strike, bringing retail trade logistics centres to standstill. The Finnish Commerce Federation estimates that food will not run out of stores during the strike, but the selection of items available may be more restricted than usual.

A three-day strike by the Industrial Union includes 60,000 workers and more than 700 work sites.

Members of the Finnish Construction Trade Union, the Paperworkers' Union and the white-collar union Pro are also on strike.

The Social and Healthcare Workers' Union (Tehy), the Union of Practical Nurses (SuPer) and the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL) continued strikes in early child education and daycare services on Wednesday.

Members of the Finnish Food Workers' Union are also out for the day.