PAM decided on strikes on February 1, 2024 – Tens of thousands of workers will be on strike

Orpo-Purra’s government has already weakened unemployment security and cut housing allowance. In addition to this, the government is still planning to ease dismissal, limit the right to strike and make the first day of sick leave unpaid. In addition, even more cuts will be announced to unemployment security, which will hit those working in the service industry hard.

—The government pushes low-income labour out of the earnings-related unemployment insurance system to rely on just basic insurance. According to our estimate, up to 20% of the unemployed in the service sector unemployment fund will very quickly have to rely on just the basic unemployment allowance due to the planned staggering of earnings-related unemployment benefit. This is how you wreck the entire earnings-related security, PAM chairperson Annika Rönni-Sällinen points out.

—Cutting unemployment benefit do not give us more jobs, but instead it worsens the situation and livelihood of those who are already struggling with unemployment.

The massive cuts in social security and working life pushed by the government are not supported by PAM’s members. According to a survey conducted in November by PAM in collaboration with Verian (former TNS-Kantar), working-age Finns also oppose the government’s cuts on e.g. social security and working life.

More than every sixth wage earner works in sectors where collective agreements negotiated by PAM are applied.

—The cuts introduced by the government will affect them, their families, and thousands more. People will lose hundreds of euros more due to these planned cuts if not any changes are made to the proposals. The planned cuts do not encourage or support people’s job search, let alone secure their livelihood. Poverty will increase. This simply cannot be accepted.  

—That’s why PAM sees no other option than to demonstrate and resort to a political strike so that the government would change its mind, Rönni-Sällinen says.

Strike targets 1 February 2024

PAM declares a strike at the following locations on Thursday, 1 February 2024. The strike lasts from 00.00 until 23.59. If an employee’s shift starts during the strike, (s)he is on strike until the end of the shift that started during the strike.  

All employees who work at the strike sites in jobs covered by PAM’s collective agreements will be on strike:

Commerce

• All S-group shops and transport stations in their entirety
• All co-operatives bank and hairdressing services in their entirety
• All K-Citymarkets and K-Citymarket Retailers, K-Supermarkets and K-markets
• All Lidl shops
• All Tokmanni shops

Tourism, restaurant and leisure service industry

• All S-group hotels, restaurants and traffic stations in their entirety
• All Sokotel hotels and their restaurants
• All Scandic hotels and their restaurants

Property services

• Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
• Coor service management Oy
• Delete Finland Oy
• Eskolanmäen kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
• Hakunilan Huolto Oy
• HH-Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
• ISS Palvelut Oy
• Kotikatu Oy
• L&T Kiinteistöhuolto Oy
• L&T Siivous Oy
• L&T Teollisuuspalvelut Oy
• N- Clean Oy
• RTK-Palvelut Oy
• Siskon siivous Oy
• SOL Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy
• SOL Palvelut Oy

In addition, PAM’s Executive Committee has decided that work stoppages organized as strikes on 1–2 February 2024 at strike targets set by other trade unions will also apply to employees and supervisors covered by PAM’s collective agreements in property services, tourism, restaurant and leisure services, and private security services.

The strike does not apply to emergency work, nor tasks that could endanger activities vital for society. PAM will carry out the strikes in a way that allows the presidential election’s advance polling stations located in commercial premises to operate normally during the strike.   

PAM has decided to join the STOP now! demonstration organized by SAK and STTK on 1 February 2024. The political demonstration covers all PAM’s collective agreement sectors. On the day in question, PAM cannot guarantee labor peace in any of PAM’s collective agreement sector.

Read more about the strike