Sostes: Strike instructions

What is a strike?

A strike is an industrial action during which the employee is fully absent from the workplace, i.e., a temporary suspension of work. During a strike, the employee does not go to work and the employer does not pay wages. The employee’s employment relationship continues unchanged regardless of the strike. Employees’ right to strike is based on the Constitution and international human rights conventions that are binding on Finland. 

A strike is a legal industrial action. An employer cannot punish an employee for participating in a strike organised by a union. 

Why has a strike been decided on?

Collective bargaining has not proceeded in the way sought by SuPer/Sote ry, and the negotiations have ended. The employer side is not willing to adhere to the previously agreed inclusion in the collective agreement of scaling down the pay gap compared to the public sector.

SuPer demands equal pay for the same work. Work done in the private social services sector is equally valuable as the same work done in the public sector. There are no grounds for a pay gap!

The purpose of the strike announced by SuPer is to speed up the collective bargaining process.

What strikes have been declared? When will the strikes be in effect? Which workplaces and jobs are on strike now? See more (in Finnish) 

My workplace is not on the lists – what does that mean?

If your workplace is not on lists, it means that the strike does not apply to work done on your workplace and thus does not affect your work. In other words, you should keep working as normal.

More information:

• If you have more questions about the strike in the private social services sector, you can find answers to most questions (in Finnish) on the FAQ page here.
• You can also contact SuPer’s advocacy department or the shop steward of your workplace about the matter.