Background; the Far Right (Finns Party) Minister of Finance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riikka_Purra is seen as the main figure driving the Right wing government’s programme of major cuts and further ‘liberalisation’ of the economy. (The Government is a coalition of the Conservative NCP, the Finns Party, and 2 minor parties) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Finnish_parliamentary_election#Government_formation . Though an apparent turnaround on pre-election promises, perhaps they hope to get away with it as their support is more rural. However the biggest government party (fractionally), the Conservative NCP is well entrenched in urban Middle class areas as traditionally the middle of the road and pivotal Centre party (now in opposition) was the leading party in rural Finland.
Overview on the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/31/finland-strikes-set-to-bring-country-to-a-standstill . Article on the Finnish public broadcaster outlining the drastic cuts and more (there is no longer an English service I can find) https://yle.fi/a/74-20072592 eg Unemployment pay which currently averages €1600 per month will be cut by about €3001 . The Swedish ‘4th International’s’ summation corresponds to that of YLE. https://internationalen.se/innehall/utrikes/2023/finlands-strejk-ar-ocksa-var/
3 Union Federations (representing about 1.9 million in a population of 5.6 million, a density of 61% in 2022 https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/industrial-relations/ ) are cooperating on a months’ long campaign against the cuts which started in Mid-January, had a major day of action on Feb 2nd and another planned for Mid-February (YLE above complains of major pain for employers).
About 13,000 people participated in Thursday’s large demonstration in Helsinki’s Senate Square. (Photo: Markku Uusiniemi) – Courtesy of Left Alliance Regional website https://vasenkaista.fi/2024/02/nyt-riittaa-tuhannet-vaativat-loppua-hallituksen-kurjistamispolitiikalle/
The most important is the SocDem-Left political Union federation SAK https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomen_Ammattiliittojen_Keskusj%C3%A4rjest%C3%B6_SAK with about 800K members2 https://www.sak.fi/ajankohtaista/painava-syy/liittotoimet (a long list of strike actions, the strategy outlined by a member union is to force the stone-walling government and employers to the negotiating table -see conclusion for link).
Akava , Union federation for the ‘highly educated’ https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akava (600K members) with a call to support Feb 2nd Day of action. They emphasize compromise with the Right-wing government though. https://akava.fi/ajankohtaista/paremman-tyoelaman-puolesta-ulosmarssit/
STTK, The ‘non-political’ Union federation https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/STTK (500K members) with its support call for the strike (the joint organiser of Feb 2nd Day of action along with SAK). They also favour compromise with the right wing government of course. https://www.sttk.fi/2024/02/01/sttk-ja-sak-tuhannet-suomalaiset-sanovat-stop-tyoelaman-ja-hyvinvoinnin-heikentamiselle/
Left of Centre Political Parties:
The Social Democrats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Finland
have a hard left history (before the Communists split off in 1918) but are now the usual bunch of compromised Left neolibs (though maybe less so that elsewhere due the fairly solid if porous Welfare state which has been eroded since the 80s on and off). With an ave 25% of the vote and along with the pivotal (rural interests) Centre Party they ruled Finland for most of the time since the 2nd world war3 . From 2003 their fortunes went into decline dropping to only 34 of 200 seats in 2015 as the Far Right ‘Finns’ party rose. However a trendy young leader Sanna Marin restored their fortunes somewhat after that (to around 40 seats), though losing power in 2023 despite improving her party’s result marginally (they were credited with keeping the Far Right out for 4 years- who were in government before in 2015-19). They have given rather tangential support to the strikes (accusing the government parties of not being honest about their intentions at the election). https://www.sdp.fi/ajankohtaista/sdpn-tuppurainen-orpo-antaa-vaaran-kuvan-tyomarkkinatilanteesta/ On Social media the strikes do seem to feature more though. https://www.facebook.com/sosialidemokraatit/
The Left Alliance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_Alliance_(Finland) . Similar to the Swedish Left party they have transformed into an urban Left-reformist feminist party from the previous4 ortho ‘Communist’ tradition party/alliance (though previously with more solid working class support outside the major cities Helsinki and Turku, etc). Following participating in the 5 party Centre-Left coalition between 2013 and 23 they had their worst result ever ; 7.06% (in the 90s they had over 10% in each election). Their attitude towards the strikes is puzzling. Apparently they think leaving it to the unions and showing rather stand offish support is the way to go5. Only on a regional website in one of the old heartlands is there coverage of Feb 2nd for example. https://vasenkaista.fi/2024/02/nyt-riittaa-tuhannet-vaativat-loppua-hallituksen-kurjistamispolitiikalle/ . Official party support for the strikes is also a bit tangential, focusing on government lies https://vasemmisto.fi/175681-2/ if a bit more active looking on X https://twitter.com/vasemmisto .
The alliance was severely stressed by the whole joining NATO debate and evidently felt pressurized into eventually supporting it to survive without a major split (as detailed in note 5 historical memory of the Winter War, Stalin’s 1940 invasion loomed large). https://www.ku.fi/artikkeli/4730878-li-andersson-olen-valmis-hyvaksymaan-suomen-nato-jasenyyden-koska-se-on-suomen-kansan-ja-suomen-eduskunnan-selvan-enemmiston-tahtotila?ref=popular (in the Alliance media). Recovering from that and the election reversal I conclude the Alliance may be a bit all over the place and lacking in confidence somewhat.
The Greens seem the usual excessively middle class party we have become used to but have bled that support from the 2 above I would guess (having been on a gradual upward trajectory until their plunge from 11.5 to 7% last year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_League . However their popular former Chair and Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekka_Haavisto has garnered 26% (in the 1st round) running as an independent for President against the NCP Conservative Stubb with 27% in January’s 1st round .
To conclude it would seem that despite the obvious increased class conflict evident in the attempts to slash the welfare state (again) and awakening of the unions in their Political Strikes, working class Finns will still vote for one bourgeois politician to keep a worse one out (sensibly enough it seems). As to the unions, SAK’s solidity is relative to the other federations, especially as they are a federation (with a member https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Union_(Finland) publicly stating their aim is to force government and employers to negotiate https://www.ku.fi/artikkeli/4968056-60000-teollisuuden-tyontekijaa-lakkoilee-helmikuussa-neuvotteluesityksillemme-ei-ole-ollut-minkaan-asteista-vastakaikua-sanoo-teollisuusliiton-lehtonen6-), but at the moment SAK and its unions seem to be at the centre of the action.
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1 This high rate of pay is earnings related and only lasts 3 months now. I believe the length of time was probably cut previously and recall hearing from a Finn that she felt better off on Social Welfare here than there several years ago due the overall cutbacks even then.
2 Member unions divide political fund money between the 2 parties, favoring the SocDems 2 to 1 in the case of the Industrial Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Union_(Finland) This I expect varies a lot.
3 The Conservative NCP sometimes barging into coalition though. -All major parties apparently agreed to a consensus line on major matters like the Welfare state and Foreign Affairs.
4In most other countries they would have been considered Stalinist tradition but this is hardly fair in Finland’s due their experience of Stalin’s 1940 invasion and hench-forth early ‘Euro-Communism’ (though there was a Stalinist minority wing and they apparently received Soviet funding). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Finland
5Their main support seems to be among Urban youth who suffer from more precarious work, their candidate polling 12% in a Youth mock election recently. And unlike in Sweden there is little sign of a ‘4th International’ organisation within (but those operating in Sweden and France appear to have individual contacts in the Left alliance). Link is via the French 4th International site ESSF https://posle.media/language/en/in-politics-there-are-no-strategies-you-can-copy-paste/ (A Helsinki Left councillor talks about party history, its current broad/porous nature and the Ukraine dilemma on some 4th International front? Russian/English site).
6Confusingly union membership is said to be merely 1.5 million here. There is a dispute to the overall number as those who have paid up to date full membership dues is less than the higher figure (with a considerable number of student and pensioner members in this case). https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomen_Ammattiliittojen_Keskusj%C3%A4rjest%C3%B6_SAK
gtimony 