Teachers on the Streets, Employers in Court: Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Experience First-Ever Strike

According to Finland's national broadcaster (Yle), the Finnish Teachers' Union (Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö, OAJ) today launched a one-day strike at four campuses of Metropolia, spanning three cities: Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. The entire school has approximately 19,000 students and 1,170 employees.

The report pointed out that teachers on site said the strike had been brewing for a long time. In recent years, international programs have expanded rapidly, with many courses taught simultaneously in Finnish and English, and student numbers have continued to increase, but teaching resources have not kept up. "Of course, we want to provide high-quality teaching to students, but with the current tools and resources, it's simply not possible; there isn't enough time."

The labor agreement expired at the end of March, and mediators have intervened, but Teachers' Union Chairman Katarina Murto said that mediation is still in its early stages, and salaries and the overall package have not yet been discussed. Strike notices have already been issued to six other universities, and if an agreement is not reached, classes will be suspended and strikes will continue.

The six schools include Tampere University of Applied Sciences joining tomorrow, Turku University of Applied Sciences on the 14th, JAMK University of Applied Sciences on the 15th, Savonia University of Applied Sciences on the 16th, Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu (Xamk) on the 21st, and LAB University of Applied Sciences on the 22nd.

The employer representative body, the Finnish Education and Culture Employers (Sivistysala ry, Sivista), deemed the strike illegal. According to regulations, both the Teachers' Union, representing employees, and another union, the Union of Professional and Managerial Staff (Ylemmät Toimihenkilöt, YTN), must withdraw from negotiations for a strike to be legal. However, the Union of Professional and Managerial Staff remains at the negotiating table, so the federation believes the Teachers' Union has no right to unilaterally declare a breakdown in negotiations and has filed a lawsuit with the labor court, requesting an urgent hearing.

The core of the dispute is a salary supplement paid only to teachers in specific departments. Employers advocate for redistribution, while the Teachers' Union believes this is a disguised pay cut, with a long list of other salary items prepared for reduction behind it.

Currently, the strike situation continues to escalate. According to the Helsinki evening newspaper "Ilta-Sanomat," the Teachers' Union and the Union of Professional and Managerial Staff have jointly issued the 8th wave of strike notices to participating schools, with another strike scheduled for April 23rd. They also announced an "extended ban" on all universities of applied sciences across Finland, effective immediately, prohibiting members from working overtime, taking on additional work, traveling for business, and accumulating flexible working hours. This ban will continue until a new agreement is reached. (Edited by: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150408