Political strikes continue in Finland, protesting the labour market policies and social security cuts of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP).
On Monday 12 February, all trains are at a standstill and later in the week other public transport services as well as many other sectors will be affected by strikes.
Members of the railway workers' union RAU are staging staggered work stoppages on Monday and Tuesday.
All long-distance, short-distance and night trains have been cancelled throughout the country on Monday.
Widespread impact
According to Joona Packalén, information manager for the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority, around 200,000 travellers in the capital region have been affected by the train strike.
Packalén says it is difficult to estimate the price tag of the strike for the transport authority.
"In practice, there will be no direct costs, but it will be a major inconvenience for our passengers," said Packalén.
Jesper Setälä of the Helsinki Road Traffic Centre told Yle that the road traffic flow was mostly smooth on Monday morning.
In the afternoon, however, traffic may become congested on major roads, such Helsinki-Tampere and Helsinki-Lahti routes.
Public transport strike
On Wednesday and Thursday, 14-15 February, there will also be a strike in local public transport services in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere.
Called by the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), the strike will have a major impact on public bus services and will bring tram and metro services to a complete halt.
Rail traffic controllers will be on strike from Monday evening to Tuesday evening, which will likely lead to some train service cancellations on Tuesday.
Ports closing, more buses stopping
The Transport Workers’ Union (AKT) announced Monday morning that Finnish ports will be effectively closed for three days from Wednesday 14 February when stevedores who are members of the union walk off the job.
Kimmo Naski, managing director of the port of Hamina-Kotka, Finland's largest general port, says it will not come to a complete standstill, as not all workers are members of the union, but he added that it will be quiet.
"This is really bad for the port and for the country as a whole," he told Yle.
Among the government policies being opposed by the AKT are cuts to unemployment benefits. According to the union's calculations, the unemployment benefit for someone earning 3,000 euros a month will drop by 346 euros after two months and by 432 euros after eight months.
Bus and coach drivers as well as garage staff belonging to the AKT will join the strike on Wednesday and Thursday, 14-15 February.
The strike will affect a wide range of bus services, both local and long-distance. The union has published a list of companies affected (in Finnish) on its website.
Altogether around 10,000 AKT members are expected to take part in the strike. The union has stressed that the strike is a political industrial action which is not directed against employers.
Daycare centres
Daycare centres and other early child education services will be closed in several towns and cities for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The strikes will begin on Tuesday at 00:01 and end on Wednesday at 23:59.
The strikes affect both municipal and private daycare centres in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Turku, Pori, and Vaasa, as well as in other major cities across Finland.
Food sector
The strikes also affect the work of bakeries and food processing plants, including soft drinks and beer production lines.
Retail chains have said that at least during the period of 11-16 February, consumers may see shortages of some items and a smaller number of staff on duty.
The strike also includes several municipal companies and companies responsible for catering and property services in Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, Tampere and Jyväskylä.
Energy and industry
In the energy sector, the strike will interrupt electricity production at several power plants, including some hydropower facilities from Wednesday to Friday.
However, the disruption is not expected to affect the country's electricity supply.
Virtually all Finnish industries will be at a standstill between Wednesday and Friday, with more than 60,000 employees expected to clock out at companies such as UPM, Metsä Group, Stora Enso, Fiskars, Kone, Nokia, Patria, ABB and Outokumpu.
This item was updated to include a Monday morning strike announcemen by Transport Workers’ Union AKT.
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