NTF: Open letter to Finland's Prime Minister

The Nordic Transport Workers' Federation NTF, representing 40 transport workers unions and 335.000 transport workers in the five Nordic countries stands in solidarity with our Finland colleagues in opposition to the dangerous and radical moves to undermine the voice of Finnish workers.

We held our Executive Board meeting on 3-4 April in Reykjavik, and our Finnish colleagues informed us about your government's the most serious attack on workers' rights and social security in the history of the Finnish welfare state. Finland regularly tops rankings of the world's happiest countries and is one of the most successful examples of the welfare state. At the heart of the Finnish labour model is the tradition of social dialogue between trade unions, employers, and the government, which has led to sectoral negotiations on collective agreements, tripartite negotiations on new legislative proposals and the expansion of the welfare state. This social contract is now being torn apart by your government.

If enacted, these reforms would set the country back decades and take it further away from its Nordic neighbours. Instead of being a world leader, Finland will be viewed as regressive and will call into question any claims to moral leadership.

We condemn your plans to start the massive reform package by restricting the right to strike in order to push through the other cuts without any real possibility of protests.

We stand in support our Finnish colleagues and are prepared to act in solidarity. We strongly urge you to withdraw the proposed changes to the labour laws.

On behalf of the NTF Executive Board,

Ismo Kokko                                                          Anu Hietala

President                                                             General Secretary