The cuts and losses of rights planned by the Finnish Orpo-Purra Government will fall particularly on the working population and on the most vulnerable in society.
What is #SeriousGrounds?
SeriousGrounds is a campaign that unites all SAK trade unions and their members under a common banner. It discloses and raises a national debate on how badly the Finnish Government is treating workers, the unemployed and the most disadvantaged in our society.
We workers will indeed have serious grounds for concern if the next four years develop as the Government is seeking. We are the target of numerous cuts motivated not by economic necessity, but by a desire to increase the power of employers. Our social welfare is on the chopping block. The outcome of this poorly planned and hastily implemented package will not be an influx of new workers, but of poverty.
A catalogue of Orpo-Purra Government cuts
The restrictions on the right to strike are already implemented, as well as most of the cuts in social welfare. The Government is right now preparing the changes in terms and conditions of employment.
Erosion of working conditions
- There will be no pay for the first day of sick leave
- “Relevant grounds” will alone suffice for dismissing an employee
- Special grounds will only be required for temporary employment when the job lasts for longer than one year
- A shorter notice period will be required for temporary layoffs
- Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will have no duty to re-engage redundant workers when operations recover
- Workplaces with no shop steward will be allowed to agree local employment conditions that fall below the statutory standard
- Reduced powers of the national conciliator will make it harder to settle industrial disputes
Restrictions on the right to strike
- Restriction of political strike action
- Restriction of sympathetic strike action
- A fine of EUR 200 for individual strikers when a strike is found to be illegal
- A dramatic increase in union strike fines
Cuts in social welfare
- A longer employment condition for earnings-related benefit
- The employment condition of eligibility for unemployment benefit will be based on prior earnings instead of working time
- Child supplements in unemployment benefit will be abolished
- The benefit portion that is protected in part-time working will be abolished
- Eligibility for unemployment benefit will begin only after phasing of outstanding holiday compensation
- Earnings-related benefit will already be reduced after two months of unemployment
- The waiting period for unemployment benefit will be prolonged
- Wage-subsidised employment will no longer count towards the employment condition for earnings-related benefit
- Benefits will be reduced for unemployed elderly workers
- Job alternation leave will be abolished
- Adult education benefit will be abolished
- The housing allowance portion that is protected during part-time working will be abolished and the allowance will be reduced
- Income support will be cut and made subject to tougher eligibility conditions
- The parental allowance increase payable for the first 16 working days will be abolished *)
*) Following a budget session, the Government announced on 19 September 2023 that it is seeking alternative measures.
Download the #SeriousGrounds logos
Download the #SeriousGrounds logos in English, Finnish and Swedish from our Flickr channel.
Download and print information about political strikes and the catalogue of cuts in English, Ukrainian and Russian
Why have the unions launched political strike action?
Чому профспілки розпочали політичні страйки? (in Ukrainian)
Почему профсоюзы начали политические забастовки? (in Russian)