Finland

Up to 6,000 people joined last Wednesday’s “Zero Tolerance for Racism” march in central Helsinki, demanding the fall of the National Conservative/Basic Finns-led far-right coalition, just one month after it the government was formed. The […]

As the curtain falls on Sanna Marin’s tenure as prime minister of Finland, the need for a mass working-class socialist party in Finland to provide an alternative to capitalist stagnation and militarism has seldom been […]

Finland’s nurses are outraged at government plans to take away their right to strike as a dispute over salaries continues. Early this month, nurses’ unions, Tehy and SuPer, announced plans to return to strike action […]

Once again, Finland’s government receives worldwide attention for the thinnest of reasons. Prime Minister Sanna Marin is at the center of a “scandal” where, essentially, she is accused of having a good time at a […]

Just a day after polls showed that Finland’s public, resigned to but unenthusiastic about NATO membership, overwhelmingly rejected any concessions to Turkey as the price of joining, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö announced an agreement making […]

Workers organized in Finnish unions OAJ and JHL, and several smaller unions, concluded a nationwide rolling strike action with a week-long strike that closed schools and disrupted municipal services across the country from 3 to […]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a rapid spike in the Finnish public’s support for joining NATO. Finland’s right-wing political parties are using the opportunity to rush the country into the military pact; Finland’s […]

Thousands, including CWI members and supporters, braved freezing temperatures to join the annual Helsinki Ilman Natseja (“Helsinki Without Nazis”) demonstration on 6 December, with smaller events taking place across Finland. This year, the march organizers […]

Two days of strike action were taken on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 September by drivers for Helsinki City Public Transport (HKL Helsingin kaupungin liikennelaitos) in protest against a city council proposal to spin the […]

Nordic paper and wood products giant, Stora Enso, announced on 20 April that it plans to close two paper mills – the Vesiluoto mill in Kemi, Lapland, and the Kvarnsveden mill in Börlange, central Sweden. […]

Rail strikes stopped travel in the Finnish capital area on 18-19 March and again on 9 April, as conductors stopped work in separate protests over potential job cuts and imposition of worse working conditions. Tero […]

Finland’s government made the surprise announcement of a new lockdown on 25 February in response to spiking rates of COVID infections in the capital region and the dominance in that part of the country of […]

Finland has, for the third year in a row, been declared the happiest country in the world in the “World Happiness Report.” Strong unions and a strong welfare state contribute to this ranking, but these […]

The well-known shipping company, the Viking Line, employs 3,000 workers and is one of Finland’s 50 biggest companies. It has just announced plans to cut 200 jobs. The company, whose income has fallen by 89% […]

Workers at Jyväskylä-based IT infrastructure company, Suomen Kotidata, walked off the job on Wednesday 22 July, in protest over the company using the wrong collective bargaining agreement. According to IT trade union, PRO, the company […]

Finland’s ruling Social Democrats are riding high in the polls as the country emerges from the first wave of coronavirus, not untouched, but far less stricken than its neighbors, Sweden and Russia. The Social Democrats […]

On Wednesday over five thousand gathered in Helsinki’s Senate Square on just two days’ notice for a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter mass protests in the United States. The rally, which far […]

The popular myth about Finland is that of a socialist paradise. It is true that, unlike in other countries in Europe, much of the social-democratic welfare state has been preserved. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has […]

After Finnish postal workers secured parcel sorters’ pay and conditions with a large, escalating strike, events moved fast in Helsinki. The State Ownership Minister, Sirpa Paatero, resigned in disgrace as evidence mounted she had known […]

Weeks of escalating strike action by Finland’s 10,000 postal workers came to an abrupt end on the morning of Wednesday, 27 November. The postal and logistics union, PAU, reached an agreement with the semi-privatised national […]

Labour activity in Finland is escalating as unions enter into months of negotiations with employers nationwide. The Social Democratic-led “left” government of Antti Rinne has proven to be interested in supporting workers in name only. […]

The Finnish government today announced concessions in response to the ongoing Finnish postal workers’ strike. Their union – the PAU -began four days of strike action on Sunday 1 September in response to management plans […]

The end of austerity in Finland has been loudly proclaimed by the new Social Democratic prime minister, Antti Rinne. The announcement came as talks were concluded between his party and  Keskusta (the Center Party), Vihreät […]

Hundreds of flights in Norway, Sweden and Denmark have been canceled as 1400 pilots for Scandinavian carrier SAS began strike action this Friday. Pilots took the step of escalating to strike action after collective bargaining […]

The Social Democrats have been made the biggest party in Finland’s parliament for the first time in 20 years. Looking more deeply, all signs in the 2019 Finnish parliamentary elections point to a working class […]

On Monday, October 22, the largest trade union in Finland – JHL – launched a two-day political strike against the right-wing government’s proposal to make it easier to sack workers in companies with 10 or […]

Thousands of people in Finland joined over a dozen demonstrations with multiple perspectives on the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin which took place in Helsinki on 16 July. The biggest of these was […]

Helsinki was at a standstill on Friday, 2 February, as a strike by the transport union, AKT, quickly escalated into national action against the so-called “Active Model” of unemployment. Under the active model, unemployed people […]

The October socialist Revolution in Russia was met with enthusiasm from workers and the oppressed around the world. Not least in neighbouring Finland which was under Russian control since 1809. It was a large principality […]

The Finnish government collapsed on Monday, June 12, as the traditional right-wing parties – Keskusta and Kokomus – announced there was no further basis for cooperation with the far-right True Finns Party (PS).

30,000 join Helsinki union demonstration

Finns Party second biggest in parliament

Sosialistinen Vaihtoehto public meeting on socialist alternative

Activists for democracy and justice gather to discuss burning social issues

Meeting discusses involvement in Afghanistan

The government is cutting more than five billion euros

“We are against the crisis programmes for Greece, Portugal etc”

Government pushes “framework agreement” to tie the hands of workers

Left Alliance joins Conservative led government – Time to build radical, left alternative!

Right wing populist ‘True Finns’ third biggest party

Following last Sunday’s parliamentary election in Finland, talks are taking place on forming a coalition government. The results saw a big increase in support for the anti-immigrant, rightwing populist True Finns party, gaining 19.0% (39 […]

Crisis demands action

For a new workers’ party!

When the Red and White forces battled for power

Union rejects ‘deal’ – Finnish SAK (TUC) must act!

“We are prepared to strike as long as needed”