JHL: The Government wants to wreck the welfare society and divide the people

Trade Union JHL’s management voiced concern for destruction of the welfare society and for chaos in the labour market in May Day speeches.

The President of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL, Håkan Ekström, spoke in Kajaani on May Day. He stressed in his speech that Finland needs consensus instead of politics that tear the country apart.

– The Orpo-Purra Government, however, wants to divide the Finnish people into losers and winners, who include only the strongest and the wealthiest. According to the Government we do not have any alternative: “We have to adjust, we have to make cuts.”

– But there are always alternatives because politics is value-based choices. The Government wants to cut here and there and especially from people with low income. Claiming that we have no alternatives has to end. We can do better. Finland can do better.

Ekström reminded that we have recently taken historically extensive and long industrial action, but we have not made unreasonable demands at any point.

– We have asked for genuine negotiations and listening to the employees. The Government’s lack of skill has driven the labour market into chaos. The Government proposal that is going to restrict the right to strike is progressing towards approval in the Parliament.

– The employee’s fundamental right, the right to industrial action, is going to be heavily restricted. The Government claims that the core of the right to strike will remain intact. However, restrictions to sympathy strikes will have direct consequences on what kind of terms and conditions of employment employees can negotiate for themselves with support from others.

Ekström pointed out that local bargaining is already in use in majority of workplaces.

– Often reaching an agreement together benefits both the employer and the employees. At the same time, we must remember that labour legislation is designed to safeguard and protect the employee, and therefore deviating from it has to be specifically an exception and not the rule.

– When the local bargaining legislation becomes effective, companies that are not members of an employers’ association will be able to deviate locally from the legislation that should protect the employee. This means that in the future nobody can monitor what is agreed in these workplaces and whether or not the law and the collective agreement were followed. We are extremely concerned about this.

Finland needs social investments

JHL’s Chief Executive Officer Saila Ruuth reminded in Vaasa how the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, said that for a long time Finland has had a strong faith in the future and the desire to build together a better country for the future generations. Ruuth was referring to President Stubb’s speech in the National Veterans’ Day celebrations in Vaasa in the previous weekend.

– The ruling right-wing Government has started to destroy exactly that welfare and future that the preceding generations have built in Finland. This welfare and security is, according to the President, what has made Finland the happiest country in the world for seven consecutive years.

Ruuth said that in order to hold its own and get wealthier, a small country like Finland needs first and foremost social investments. That means investments in people’s skills and welfare.

– Social stability and equality are built on these, and they are both the source of our happiness and our asset in the global competition.

– Unfortunately, it seems that our current Prime Minister does not want to stop and think of the real prerequisites of growth. The Government uses euphemistic language and talks about balancing the economy, but their means of doing it make it seem that the goal is mainly to increase inequality and weaken democracy.

Ruuth sees an attempt to make the trade union movement weaker.

– From sports to social welfare and health care organisations and from cultural organisations to associations for children and the youth, civil society organisations and institutions are facing paralysing cuts of their subsidies.

Ruuth says that the heaviest burden for “balancing the economy” falls on the shoulders of ordinary small- and medium-income employees and those who are already struggling:

– People who deserve working health care, a safe day care centre and school for their children, a decent nursing home for their ageing parents and economic security in case of unemployment or an illness that prevents them from supporting themselves and their families. People who are studying now to build the future for themselves and for Finland. 

– When the Government pushes forward its catastrophic list of cuts, the Nordic welfare society is going to suffer the heaviest blows.

Additional information

President Håkan Ekström 040 828 2865

Chief Executive Officer Saila Ruuth 050 466 1573