Strike at the University of Helsinki February 28th

The university sector has been without a collective agreement since the beginning of February. The negotiations concerning the collective agreement have not been successful and thus a strike will take place at the University of Helsinki Wednesday 28 March 2017 from 00:00 – 24.00.

As an organisation promoting PhD students’ interests HYVÄT supports the strike, and hopes that the negotiating parties will reach a collective agreement that ensures fair salaries and good working conditions at the universities.

You can read more about the issues at stake on the web pages of the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO, who also have published instructions for participation in the strike.

The strike concerns a large group of university employees

Notice has been given by the over forty member-organisations of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland Akava for which the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO is conducting the negotiations. These include the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers, Helsinki University Researchers and Teachers Association, HUART, the Finnish Union of University Professors, The Union of Professionals in Natural, Environmental and Forestry Sciences Loimu, the Union for University Teachers and Researchers in Finland (YLL), Akava Special Branches, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK, the Association of Finnish Lawyers, and the Finnish Medical Association (FMA).

Excluded from the strike are only:

1. The necessary care of humans, animals, specimens and living collections;
2. On-duty IT work as specified in Chapter 4, section 20, of the collective agreement and the necessary core network monitoring and corrective measures  in as far as the immediate safety of premises and living material is dependent on them
3. Research work which cannot be interrupted without considerable damage (e.g., a longitudinal research series would be interrupted)
4. Scholars working abroad or attending conferences; doctoral candidates who are defending their thesis, opponents and custodes; vice-rectors, the chancellor as well as representatives of the employer (rector, director of administration, director of human resources and head of human resources).

In practice the strike means that:

University employees will not work during the strike. All teaching will be cancelled during the day, and student service points and University libraries will be closed. However, Learning centres Aleksandria and Minerva in the Centre and Terkko Health Hub at Meilahti are open.

Programme:

During the strike there will be a “We are the univeristy!” – demonstration at the city centre campus outside Porthania (Yliopistonkatu 3) from 11 am.  At the cafe of the old student house (Mannerheimintie 3) there will be PopUp Strike Talks from 3 to 6 pm. See the Facebook event for further info.