Strike to disrupt security check at Helsinki Airport on Oct 5

Security check at the Helsinki Airport will be disrupted as the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL) on Sunday announced to go for a strike on Thursday.

JHL announced the strike from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm protesting against the programme of social welfare cuts and impaired work conditions taken by the four-party alliance right-wing government.

With the walkout, JHL opposes the unreasonable misery that is brought to working life, said JHL in a press release.

The union said that the government´s move would hit the security sector too and warned to continue the demonstration, if the government doesn’t change its policy of making cuts.

“The Orpo Government is going to punish employees by, say, making it easier to fire people and make use of fixed-term employment relationships. We do not accept the constant humiliation of employees. The Government is deaf to employee demands, so we must take tougher measures,” JHL President Päivi Niemi-Laine said.

JHL is ready to openly negotiate on working life reforms. However, the Government is trying to push through the changes with one-sided dictation, and working life specialists haven’t been listened to, which prompted the trade unions to go for action, said Niemi-Laine.

“Unfortunately, we’re forced to extend our measures, seeing as there are no genuine negotiations on offer,” she added.

In addition to eroding the terms and conditions of employment, the government wants to crush the Finnish labour market with a model in which no sector would in the future get larger pay raises than the export industry, said the JHL press release.

“The government is going to cement a system in Finland in which children’s nurses in day care centres, registered nurses and elderly care professionals, among others, will never be lifted out of the pay gap. This is unfair and makes no sense. For instance the social welfare and health care sector has an urgent labour shortage. How is the Government going to find employees for jobs if the pay doesn’t meet the demands of the job,” said Niemi-Laine.

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Pro and the Industrial Union on Sunday also announced to go for strike on Thursday.

Pro will observe hour-long strike at different companies including Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant and all Gasum facilities.

Members of the Industrial Union announced an hour strike at 10 workplaces on Thursday in the Uusimaa region.

Earlier on September 28, the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and its affiliated unions notified Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Finance Minister Riikka Purra of plans to go for political industrial action from September 29 protesting against the government’s programme of social welfare cuts and impaired work conditions,