A three-day strike is set to begin Tuesday in selected private care homes and other social service units across Finland. The industrial action follows the rejection of a proposed settlement in the ongoing labor dispute within the private social services sector. According to Helsingin Sanomat, the strike will particularly affect facilities operated by Attendon, Esperi, and Mehiläinen in Lapland and North Ostrobothnia. The Finnish Employers’ Association Hali and the trade union JHL both rejected the conciliation proposal on Sunday, other employee organizations would have accepted it. JHL criticized the suggested wage increases as too modest, arguing they would widen the existing pay gap between private and public sector social and health care workers. The proposal included an average 6.1% raise over a 28-month contract period, compared to the general framework of 7.8% over 36 months used in export industries. Hali, representing employers, opposed the proposal because it directed the largest raises to staff with the highest experience-based supplements. Hali’s labor market director, Kati Virtanen, stated this approach was unreasonable and that new professionals entering the field, whose salaries are relatively lower, should receive more emphasis. National Conciliator officials said a decision on whether to continue mediation efforts will be announced later.
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