A major strike of 25,000 nurses is beginning on 1 April, unless a last-minute agreement can be reached.
Tehy – The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland and Super – the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses, are concerned about the urgent need to do something about the shortage of social and health care professionals.
To this end, the unions have proposed there should be an extra 3.6 per cent increase over the next 5 years on top of the standard pay increase. This would be separate from the branch collective agreements and financed directly by the state, the unions say.
The local government employers’ organisations pulled out of collective bargaining at the end of February. Since then, the National Conciliator has been seeking to guide negotiations, but so far without result.
The Minister of Labour, Tuula Haatainen has already moved to delay the strike by two weeks. This is legally possible in cases where the planned strike endangers the vital functions of society. It is an instrument that can be used only once.
Tehy and Super stress that even in the event of a strike, nurses will perform all the necessary care and protection duties to prevent the health or lives of citizens from being endangered.
There is another strike looming by Tehy and Super involving 40,000 nurses. Minister Haatainen has sought to delay this strike, too. It is due to begin in the middle of April, unless there is a deal before then.
Heikki Jokinen
Read more:
Tehy and Super issue a five-year rescue programme for social and health care (25.02.2022)