Vantaa prepares for potential municipal strike
A large-scale municipal strike may begin on April 19. Trade unions JUKO, JHL (The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors), and Jyty (the Federation of Public and Private Sector Employees) gave a strike notice regarding the metropolitan area cities on March 21. JUKO, JHL, and Jyty have announced that the strike will take place from April 19 to April 25. If the strike begins, it will also affect the City of Vantaa’s functions.
The scope the strike is currently being specified in local negotiations. When the negotiations are completed, the impacts of the strike will be known in more detail. Should the strike begin, it will affect the City of Vantaa’ services such as education and instruction, social welfare and health care, as well as cultural and leisure services.
Potential impacts on education and instruction
If the strike comes true, the majority of early childhood education units will be closed. We hope that during the strike families themselves arrange care for their children, if possible. We aim, to the extent possible, to keep some daycare centers open so that we can offer early childhood education to those children whose care cannot be otherwise arranged. We will inform the guardians later about the units that we are trying to keep open. It is possible that we will not be able to admit all the children willing to our daycare centers. If a child does not attend a daycare center because of the strike, the days of absence are free of charge.
If the strike comes true, the education and learning committee will decide on suspending pre-primary and early childhood education in its meeting on April 12. The City of Vantaa will publish further instructions related to the strike on Wednesday, April 13.
The City of Vantaa upper secondary education institutions, high schools, and Vantaa Vocational College Varia have prepared for the potential strike by making educational-institution-specific action plans. High schools and Varia will instruct students and guardians in operating methods before the potential strike begins, at the latest on the preceding workday.
Potential impacts on social and health services
If realized, the municipal strike will have extensive impacts on social and health services. We will inform more about the impacts if the strike comes true.
SuPer (the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses) and Tehy (the Union of Health and Social Care Services) have submitted their second strike warning to hospital districts for the period of April 20 - May 4. The strike would impact diagnostic services and specialized care provided by HUS (Helsinki University Hospital). We strongly recommended that each and every Vantaa resident follow HUS’ information about the impacts of the strike.
Other potential impacts
If the strike takes place, it will also affect leisure services such as opening hours of cultural and sports premises, as well as guided activities.
We will inform about the situation on our website at: vantaa.fi/lakko. If the strike is canceled, activities will continue as usual.