Public transportation workers and employers continue to wrangle over collective bargaining agreements in Finland.
On Monday and Tuesday bus drivers — represented by the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union (AKT) — are continuing to negotiate collective agreements with employer representatives, but if they cannot agree, a broad strike will begin on Wednesday and continue until Friday 10 March.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL) has issued a five-day strike warning on behalf of workers in the railway sector due to stalled negotiations. That strike is scheduled to begin next Monday, on 6 March and continue until 10 March, if the matter is not resolved.
JHL also issued an additional railroad workers' strike that would begin a few days after the other threatened labour actions. Characterising the negotiations as "deadlocked," the union's negotiations chief, Teppo Järnstedt said in a statement on Monday that a "second strike notice is needed."
VR: Second rail strike would stop most trains
National rail firm VR issued a statement on Monday about the looming strikes called by JHL, saying that it would try to run all services as usual if possible during the first round of strikes, noting that some cancellations would be possible.
However, if the second strike takes place, VR said it would have to cancel all long-distance and local trains.
It added that a number of freight train services would be cancelled, except for some individual routes.
That strike, if it is held, would last from 13 March until 17 March. However the union said the strike would not apply to tasks which, if interrupted, would cause "danger to people's lives, health or property."
If they go ahead, the overlapping bus and train strikes could severely hamper public transportation services in several cities. Meanwhile, long distance transport services will also be affected.
Cancellations expected
In Tampere, for example, a strike would result in around half of the city's bus services coming to a stop, according to regional transport authority Nysse.
According to Helsinki public transport authority HSL, a strike would affect around 90 percent of the bus routes in the Helsinki region.
Turku City's public transport director, Sirpa Korte, said that while the city's bus system would also be significantly affected by an eventual strike, the city will try to ensure that kids' school trips would continue, according to Swedish-language news' Svenska Yle.
While there could be some disruptions in long-distance bus service caused by a strike, they are not expected to be as severe as would affect local bus services.
All of the cities' transport authorities plan to announce changes in schedules and other updates in the event that negotiations fail and strikes begin.