News from Finland. The nation's ports will shut for up to two weeks.

SAK labour federation launches more strikes next week

Trade unions are organising new political walkouts beginning on Monday.

The nation's ports will shut for up to two weeks.

YLE NEWS 11:20 https://yle.fi/a/74-20077813

Five men wearing jackets but no ties sit in a row behind a table with glasses, cups, notebooks and so on.

SAK president Jarkko Eloranta (on the left) announced new strikes at a press conference, flanked by Industrial Union president Riku Aalto, JHL president Håkan Ekström, AKT president Ismo Kokko and Electrical Workers' Union president Sauli Väntti. Image: Petteri Bulow / Yle

The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), which has been organising political strikes since last autumn, announced new walkouts on Wednesday.

It said that a new wave of industrial actions will begin next Monday, and continue for up to two weeks. Details of some strikes are to be announced later on Wednesday.

According to SAK president Jarkko Eloranta, the strikes will be significant and impactful.

"They will affect exports, imports, logistics, maybe even production facilities," Eloranta said.

The leaders of SAK members, the Industrial Union, the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT) and the Finnish Electrical Workers' Union took part in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

AKT stevedores will go on strikes at 6am on Monday, shutting down all freight traffic at the nation's ports for up to two weeks.

Passenger traffic will operate as normal.

According to the AKT’s Ismo Kokko, the strike could be halted if an agreement is reached with the government.

The Industrial Union is to announce its own two-week strikes around midday. According to union boss Riku Aalto, the walkouts will be aimed at heavy industry.

JHL strikes, meanwhile, will affect freight transport by rail as well as port operations in various parts of Finland.

"They will apply to rail traffic and port employees. On the rail side, the actions will bring interruptions or stops to freight traffic," said JHL president Håkan Ekström.

All SAK unions will be involved, at least financially, and other unions may stage solidarity actions.

SAK: Friday meeting too narrow

On Tuesday, Eloranta said that the government has not made any moves toward meeting wage-earners halfway in the ongoing labour market disputes.

The government plans to implement a large number of labour market reforms and social security cuts, which trade unions fiercely oppose. These include limiting the right to strike, promoting local bargaining through legislative changes, and cutting earnings-related unemployment insurance.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) has invited labour market groups to a meeting on Friday.

The SAK said that such a discussion is insufficient because the government says that it will only focus on its new labour market model, the so-called export-led wage model, which unions say will limit wages in female-dominated sectors.

The SAK is demanding genuine negotiations on other labour market reforms outlined by the government as well.