12 марта 2024 — 18:00
Cargo transportation in almost all Finnish ports was stopped due to a strike by trade unions against the cabinet's reforms in the labor market, public broadcaster Yle reported. RIA Novosti writes about this.
"The strike that began this morning has stopped almost all freight traffic in all Finnish ports. The strike is expected to last two weeks," the article says.
Trade unions oppose the reforms of the Petteri Orpo government, including pension reform, sick leave payments, unemployment, insurance premiums, simplification of layoffs, prohibition of strikes and others.
Unloading of goods arriving at Finnish ports is expected to stop due to the strike. Among the goods there are also perishable products, medicines and flowers. Some of the perishable goods will be transported in trucks on passenger ships that run in the same mode, Yle noted.
The action may also partially affect the operation of industrial plants and the supply of raw materials, as well as cause disruptions in fuel distribution, Finnish media reported earlier.
The strike involves the Central Union of Trade Unions, the Industrial Trade Union, the trade union of workers in motor Transport, the public sector and the social security sector, as well as the electricians' union.
Last week, Prime Minister Orpo held talks with trade union representatives and said that the government's planned reforms are necessary and will not be canceled.
The Union of Business Life, the largest employers' organization, estimates that the cumulative damage to the Finnish economy, business and jobs from political strikes against government reforms already amounts to almost a billion euros.