Finland's biggest welfare sector trade union, the JHL, will not take part in the government's anti-racism campaign, it announced on Thursday.
The trade union characterised the campaign as the government's "shameless attempt" to overshadow its policies that it said "increase inequality".
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's (NCP) government is due to launch the campaign later this month, and will call on groups from various sectors to tackle the issue of racism and discrimination.
The government initiated the campaign following a wave of racism and far-right scandals that engulfed the coalition government in its first few weeks in office more than a year ago.
In the press release, JHL's executive director Mari Keturi first thanked those in the organisation preparing to take part in the campaign.
"Unfortunately, however, the government's actions are in stark contrast to the campaign's objectives," she said.
"We speak through action, and therefore are withdrawing our participation in the campaign. If the governing parties commit themselves to taking action instead of making vague pledges, then we would be pleased to take part," Keturi continued.
The trade union noted that the organisations and employers that will take part in the anti-racism campaign would be deciding which measure they pledge to commit to. As examples, it said participants could establish equality policies and offer support to people who have experienced racism.
Equality issues
But Keturi said Finland's Discrimination Act already includes statues on equal treatment.
"It is shameless for the government to call on others to promote equal treatment while it wants to abolish the equal treatment policy at early childhood education units," Keturi said.
She was referring to the government's plans to make changes to the Non-Discrimination Act that would remove the obligation to promote equality in early childhood education and care.
The trade union pointed out that it gained nearly 15,000 new members last year, with a "considerable proportion" having immigrant backgrounds.
The JHL said that it was particularly concerned about how "the government's anti-employee and anti-immigrant policies" would affect the lives of those members.
"In addition to structural racism, the government also promotes acceptance of discriminatory, racist language and normalises hate speech," the press release — issued in Finnish and Swedish as of publication time — read.
The JHL, the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors, has around 165,000 members and regularly negotiates about 100 collective agreements in the public and private sectors. Based in Helsinki, it has eight regional offices and around 450 local branches, according to its website.
The trade union said it was preparing a guide about equality issues, to be published this autumn.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.