Rinne said his 120,000-member-strong union was ready to support the nurses with concrete action if this was requested.
It is likely that support measures to be offered by the union would affect hospital computer services.
So far, the STTK confederation of white-collar unions has not considered whether to stage solidarity action.
However, the Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees say it will offer support to the nurses. Its chair, Tapio Huttula, said equality in pay would not improve without money and real structural changes.
Nurses gathered on the steps of Parliament on Thursday afternoon. Behind the call to action was said to be a coalition of concerned citizens, activists from international organisations, nurses, midwives, and students.
Employers Criticise Pay Demands The Commission for Local Authority Employers says pay demands by Tehy are double those of other local government employees. They estimate the union's demand for a 24 percent pay rise would increase salaries by 600 to 870 euros per month. This would represent a monthly pay cheque of over 3,100 euros. The Commission says municipalities cannot afford to meet the union's demands. It claims the wage demands, if implemented, would lead to tax increases in many other sectors. Employers say the probability of redundancies would also increase. President to Approve Patient Safety Law On Friday, President Tarja Halonen signed a law on patient safety that demands some nurses work in certain circumstances. The Deputy CEO of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS), Dr. Seppo Kivinen, said HUS would begin ordering nurses to work as soon as the patient safety bill became law. He said there was no choice if patient safety in certain vital wards was to be preserved. Meanwhile, talks are continuing to find a settlement in the dispute. If no deal is reached, 12,800 members of the Tehy union will quit their jobs as of Monday night. YLE