Finnish unions pause strike action

The main Finnish trade union confederation, SAK, has decided to suspend the wave of political strikes it has been conducting since last September.

SAK’s member unions, and those in other confederations, have been protesting against government plans to limit the right to strike, weaken unions in collective bargaining and reduce social benefits. The action began with brief stoppages and walkouts but, by February, public services were severely affected. And at the end of March and the start of April, four weeks of strikes in ports and elsewhere largely halted exports and led to some factories closing.

That round of strikes ended on 8 April, and on 4 April the governing board of SAK agreed that they would not be extended to allow discussions with the government to take place.

The government had previously said it would not begin negotiations while the strikes were continuing.

Opinion polls show some weakening in public support for the unions’ action, with only 39% at the end of March saying they backed the strikes, compared with 49% in February.

However, 45% backed the unions’ opposition to the government’s plans, a higher percentage than the 38% who opposed the unions’ position. In addition, more than two-thirds of those wanted the government to start negotiations with the unions, something which it has so far refused to do.