On Monday, January 22, the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (FUURT) announced that we will join the walkout organized by our central labor union confederation, Akava, in protest against the Government’s attempts to weaken labor legislation in Finland. The walkouts will take place on February 6th, from 2-4pm, primarily in Tampere, Turku, and the Helsinki metropolitan area.
FUURT is calling for its members working at the universities of Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere to participate in the walkout. FUURT members working at universities of applied sciences, companies, and organizations can also participate in the walkouts in Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere along with members of other Akava affiliates (FUURT members who work in public service employment relations do not participate in the walkouts). More information from FUURT, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available here in Finnish and English: https://tieteentekijat.fi/akavan-ulosmarssi-6-2-2024/
On the day of the walkout, Tatte members, alongside members of other FUURT associations and Akava affiliates in Tampere who are working at Tampere University are encouraged to join together to march out from the city center campus at 2pm. The route of the march and other details are still being planned, but we know that the march will be followed by an Akava-organized event at Tavara-asema (Ratapihankatu 33, 33100 Tampere), where there will be a programme beginning at 3:30pm, featuring speeches, refreshments, a performance, and a live stream of a panel discussion from Helsinki. Stay tuned for more information about the march, but, as space is limited at the Tavara-asema event, please go ahead and register now if you plan to attend: https://www.lyyti.fi/reg/Paremman_tyoelaman_puolesta_Tampereella
Throughout the fall, Akava has continually put forward an approach favoring negotiation and constructive solutions, but the Government has not listened. The Government’s planned reforms would undermine the position of workers in collective bargaining, weaken the terms of employment, impose restrictions on the fundamental right to strike, cut unemployment insurance and other forms of social security, and make the lives of immigrants in Finland more difficult. All of these issues stand to directly affect Tatte’s members, and, as FUURT’s announcement states, they would “further compound the uncertainty currently plaguing the work careers of researchers, teachers, and experts.” In line with the 2024 action plan approved at Tatte’s most recent member assembly, Tatte participates in the walkout to defend the rights and interests of our members, and we hope you will join us.