The Orpo government's program is an unprecedented list of cuts and impairments in the employee's position. In early 2024, we announced political work stoppages in order to defend the rights of our members. These sector-specific work stoppages are notified directly to the members. Members covered by the strike have the right to participate in a political strike and the employer may not apply pressure on them.
On this page, we have gathered up-to-date information about opinions and answers to frequently asked questions. If you have questions about organizational measures, contact your shop steward or the union's counselling.
FAQ
It is our duty to defend our members when working life impairments are planned for them.
The government intends to e.g. weaken the employee's protection against dismissal, make it easier to enter into unjustified fixed-term employment relationships, limit the number of work communities covered by the Cooperative Act, shorten layoff notice periods to one week, change the first day of sick leave to unpaid, and cut social security, such as earnings-related unemployment insurance and housing allowance.
In other words, the government at the same time significantly weakens the conditions and protection of our members' employment relationships and cuts unemployment insurance. In addition, the government intends to intervene with legislation in collective bargaining, limit employees' opportunities to defend their own rights by restricting strike rights, and fine individual employees for participating in industrial action during the labor peace.
Based on the feedback we have received, this all causes widespread concern among our membership, and we have taken this message to Orpo's board on numerous occasions since the publication of the board's program, without success. After the government repeatedly refused to listen and genuinely negotiate about the reforms, Pro's board had to make a decision to continue and expand the organizational activities in order to make our members' voices heard in the decision-making regarding them.
We still hope that a negotiation link can be found between the government and the labor market organizations and that we can in the future develop working life together by agreement, as has been the widely respected Finnish practice for decades.
The government program contains numerous weakening of the status and rights of employees. Our goal is to get the government to cancel its most radical weakening of working life and to truly listen and take into account the voice of employees when reforming working life.
All political strikes announced by Pro are legal, have been properly notified to employers and must not result in any consequences for the employees who participate in the strike. The employer is also not allowed to collect information in advance about white-collar employees participating in a strike at the workplace, pressure them to do work under strike or demand separate "strike stamps" in the work time records.
In the past, some employers have mistakenly informed white-collar workers that participating in a strike is an unauthorized absence if this is not personally reported in advance. Such an action is illegal pressure on civil servants participating in industrial action. If the employer inquires in advance about participating in the strike, you do not have to answer these inquiries. Instead, tell the shop steward, Pro's regional office or the employment emergency.
You can find more frequently asked questions about participating in the strike on Pro's website. For all questions related to the strike, you can also contact your own shop steward, Pro's regional office or the union which you can reach Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at (09) 1727 3442.
You can find up-to-date information on Pro's website, Facebook, Instagram, X and member letters.
You can make a difference by joining the union, because together we are more. Share information about impairments in the workplace and on social media. We have put together for your use a concise list of the government's work life impairments and a list of the government's work life impairments and their consequences.
If you have questions about organizational measures, contact your shop steward or the union.
Everyone has the right to participate in political expression, it is not an illegal strike. Collective agreements often agree on a four-day notice period for political expression. All trade unions take care of this and members can be confident that the notices have been given on time. The trade unions have limited work that is essential for life, health and environmental protection to the exclusion of expressions of opinion.
Trade associations and their members thus have the opportunity to express their opinions on social issues. Therefore, you cannot incur any sanctions for participating in political demonstrations.
Illegal strike means that the trade union or its members try to influence the valid collective agreement by striking. Political expression is never directed at valid collective agreements.
If you have any questions about the situation, contact your shop steward or the union.
A political strike is legal and you cannot be penalized for participating in it.
Collective agreements often agree on a four-day notice period regarding a political strike. Pro has taken care of the necessary notifications. Salaried workers do not have to notify the employer of their participation.
The strikes announced by Pro start at different times and you can find them above in the member letters. You will no longer go to work after the start time of the strike.
Do not leave anything at your workplace that you might need during the strike. After the strike starts, you don't go to the workplace or do remote work.
Ammatiliitto Pro has announced a strike for salaried jobs within the scope of the collective agreement at the locations of separately listed companies. The strike also applies to those employees who are not members of Pro.
The strike applies to all salaried workers who work in positions and locations according to a collective agreement that have been notified of a strike. You can find the list above.
(In other words, the strike can also apply to salaried employees working for companies other than those listed in the list, if the work is performed at a location within the scope of the strike.)
In the case of simultaneous absences with a strike, the so-called time priority basis. If, for example, annual leave or sick leave begins before the strike, the person is on vacation or sick leave even after the strike begins. If the reason for the original absence ends during the strike, the person will be on strike for the rest of the period.
After the strike ends.
You have a month.
The condition is that you have already been a member of Pro at the time of submitting the notice of industrial action.
The strike does not target collective agreements, but affects other matters, in this case the government program's proposals for weakening working life and social security. It also does not oppose any particular political party or mean we are taking sides.
Even with this new legislation, we remain on your side
The Finnish government intends to change the working conditions, such as weakening the protection against dismissal, limiting the right to strike, making it easier to enter into fixed-term employment relationships, abolishing adult education support and rotation leave, and making the first day of illness unpaid.
In addition, the government plans to significantly weaken earnings-related unemployment insurance.