A bus drivers' strike will shut down many, if not most, public bus services in cities around the country starting on Wednesday, after negotiations between public transportation workers and their employers failed to reach agreement.
The announcement was made on Tuesday evening, following talks about an updated collective bargaining deal.
It became clear that negotiations were in jeopardy after the employees' side rejected a proposal that conciliator Jukka Ahtela offered earlier in the day.
The strike, called by the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT), is now scheduled to begin early on Wednesday and continue until 10 March. The labour action will result in the shutdown of many, if not most, public transport services in cities around the country.
AKT also called a strike for the heavy goods vehicle industry that was due to start on Wednesday, but that was averted after a deal was reached on Tuesday evening.
Many cities' services affected
In Tampere, for example, the strike will stop around half of the city's bus services, regional transport authority Nysse has said.
Helsinki's public transport authority HSL, has warned that the strike would affect around 90 percent of the bus routes in the capital region.
HSL traffic planner Esa Sauvola said that less than 10 percent of the city's bus routes will be running.
He suggested that people work remotely from home, if possible.
Turku's bus services will also be significantly affected, according to the southwestern city's public transport director, Sirpa Korte.
Among long-distance coach firms, the strike will affect, for example, Onnibus and Koivisto. The strike may also affect those on winter holidays this week.
According to Onnibus' commercial development director, Petteri Rantala, the company normally has around 300 drivers operating buses, but that a strike would bring down the number of drivers to around 25.
Edited at 8:54 am, 2 March, to clarify the negotiation breakdown.