Strike monitors at the Western Uusimaa Police Department. The second strike by unions representing state employees began today. LEHTIKUVA
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A three-day strike involving state employees began early Tuesday, impacting police services and national weather forecasts as negotiations over pay remain deadlocked.
Staff from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the ICT Centre Valtori, and the Eastern Uusimaa and Southeast Finland Police Departments joined the walkout after mediation failed. The strike follows a previous two-day action last week, which included the first police strike in Finland since the 1970s.
The unions representing the approximately 80,000 affected employees — Juko, JHL, and Trade Union Pro — are demanding a 7.8 percent wage increase over three years. The Office for the Government as Employer (VTML) has offered 6.3 percent, citing budget constraints and the €5.5 billion annual cost of government personnel.
The strike is set to continue until midnight on Thursday, 24 April.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute warned that national weather forecasts, such as coastal bulletins, may not be issued during the strike. Anssi Vähämäki of the institute’s Weather and Safety Centre said the impact may vary depending on staffing levels, but national-level updates are expected to be limited through Thursday.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the unions also issued a new strike warning. A separate two-day walkout is now planned for 8–9 May. It would include employees at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Emergency Response Centre Agency, Finnish Food Authority, and the Southeast Finland, Eastern Finland and Oulu police departments.
“Unfortunately, we have to continue and expand the strikes,” the unions said. “The employer is still not prepared to accept wage increases in line with the general policy that government employees unquestionably deserve.”
The dispute is expected to return to the National Conciliator’s Office on Thursday.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
