Massive strike to halt all public transport in Finland on Thursday

In addition to that, postal workers and other civil servants are also going to participate in the walkout

It looks like this Thursday, 14 December, will be a literally no-go day in Finland as many of the country’s trade unions, specifically those representing public transport employees, are planning to stage a strike.

What was initially meant to begin as a protest by public transit workers seems to be growing into a massive industrial action after employees from other public sectors have announced that they will also join in support and solidarity.

Trade unions are protesting against the government's proposed labour reforms and social security cuts unless the government listens to their demands and renegotiates before Wednesday.

No trains, no busses, no mail delivery

If the industrial action goes ahead as planned, this means that all commuters relying on public transit services in the country will be basically stranded, or at least severely delayed, no matter which public ground transportation mode they could opt for on Thursday. Air travel, however, will not be affected.

According to Yle news agency, the work stoppages will cover a total of 150 companies and approximately 17,000 employees across Finland.

Apart from public transit workers, this also means that drivers of trucks, buses, commercial vehicles, oil tankers, as well as workers in the travel industry, terminal ports and freight companies, will walk off their jobs on Thursday. In addition, postal workers and couriers will go on strike, which could in turn disrupt things like meal deliveries to schools and kindergartens.

VR, Finland’s railway operator, announced that it will reimburse train tickets purchased for Thursday if the planned political strike goes ahead. They will also refund the seat reservations for series tickets and extend the validity of season tickets by each day of the strike.