Police officer. LEHTIKUVA
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Police officers and prison staff in Finland have issued a two-day strike warning, with action set to begin on 15 April unless an agreement on pay is reached.
The strike would affect officers at the Western Uusimaa Police Department and staff at the Hämeenlinna and Vantaa prisons. State agencies including the State Treasury Office, government ICT centre Valtori, and the Shared Services Centre for Finance and HR in Hämeenlinna are also included in the warning.
The proposed action would not affect duties related to public health or safety, nor tasks connected to upcoming regional and municipal elections. Healthcare staff in prisons are excluded from the strike.
Talks between unions and the government broke down on 7 March, when the Office for the Government as Employer (VTML) suspended negotiations. State workers have been without a valid collective agreement since the end of February.
Unions are seeking a 7.8 percent pay increase over three years, in line with what has been agreed in the private sector. The government has offered a 6.3 percent rise.
Jonne Rinne, head of the Finnish Police Union and chair of the public sector negotiations for the Juko union, said the strike notice is a response to the failure of other means.
“If only the employee side is willing to sit at the table, nothing moves forward,” he said.
Government representatives have argued that Finland’s public finances cannot support private-sector level increases. Last year, state labour costs totalled €5.5 billion.
Sari Ojanen, chief negotiator at VTML, said on Monday that although the gap between positions remains wide, she is hopeful an agreement can be reached.
The National Conciliator has summoned both sides to mediation talks starting on Tuesday.
The strike would be the first by Finnish police officers since 1976. The last civil servant strike took place in 1986.
Currently, unions have imposed overtime and shift change bans across the state sector.
The conflict affects approximately 80,000 employees. Around 40 percent of government staff work in safety and security roles. In addition to police and prison officers, the negotiations cover employees in the Border Guard, courts, Defence Forces, and Tax Administration.
Should talks fail to progress, unions have stated they are prepared to expand strike action further.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
