Finnish strike to end Monday: labour union

A historic month-long strike by Finnish workers against proposed labour reforms that caused disruptions to both cargo transport and port activity will end Monday, a union leader said Friday.

Some 7,000 workers from industrial, logistics and power sectors have participated in the strike since it was launched on March 11 to protest the reforms unveiled by Finland's right-wing government.

"The decision was made because the government has said it will not negotiate or discuss any settlement with employee organisations while strikes continue," Jarkko Eloranta, president of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), told AFP.

Earlier this year, workers across different sectors also participated in several shorter strikes.

Finland's government has proposed changes to unions' powers to negotiate collective bargaining agreements, cuts to welfare benefits as well as restricting the right to strike.

Conservative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's coalition government has said that the country needs an "export-driven labour market model" to boost competitiveness, while unions have argued the changes would erode labour rights and lead to deteriorated working conditions.

Like its Nordic neighbours, Finland is known for its generous welfare model, which offers strong protection and benefits for employees.

"Finland has never experienced such long political strikes, at least not since the Second World War," said Niklas Bruun, a professor at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki.

As a result of the strike, rail transport has been disrupted and activity paused in several ports and industries.

At the beginning of last week, some gas stations had run out of fuel, according to Finnish refinery Neste.

On Friday, Finnish mining firm Terrafame announced it would halt production at its battery chemicals plant for approximately four weeks due to the fallout of the strikes.

"The shutdown is a result of the industrial actions in Finland that have continued for several weeks and are affecting the logistics chain", the company said in a statement.

Industry group the Confederation of Finnish Industries estimated the financial impact of the strikes amount to around two billion euros.

Following their decision to end the strikes, the labour unions said they will now wait two weeks for the government to respond.

Despite the overture by unions, Bruun said he is skeptical of a resolution as compromising would damage the reputation of the government and unions.