Labour Fed. Extend Strikes Currently Hitting Import & Export Activity

Finland's largest labour federation, the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), has confirmed that its ongoing political strikes will continue "...without interruption, targeting the same companies – mostly affecting ports and major export firms. The labour group and its 18 member unions previously said that the strikes would continue until the end of March...."

• The latest strikes began on 11 March and have largely impacted Finland's port and rail system, significantly hampering import and export activities. The industrial action (which continues that begun in September 2023) comes in opposition to gov't labour market reforms. Yle reports, "The reforms would make it easier to fire employees, cut unemployment benfits, abolish mandated sick pay from the first day of sick leave, and increase flexibility employers have to agree terms of work locally rather than abiding by sectoral agreements, among other things."
• According to the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), the strikes have so far cost the companies affected EUR2bn.
• The right-leaning coalition of PM Petteri Orpo has claimed that his gov't has sought compromise and to listen, but that union demands are too extreme and that his gov't would maintain the main tenets of the reforms.