Strike at the University of Helsinki

A strike warning has been issued for tomorrow (28.2.) for the University of Helsinki. The reason is that the negotiations about between the employers and employees about the wages and working conditions are stuck and the strike is used as a means to speed up the movement of the employer's negotiation position towards an acceptable compromise. Business as usual? After all, there hasn't been a strike at the university for a very long time...

While almost everybody agrees that Finland's future is built on knowledge and innovation, the appreciation of the very people that are generating knowledge and innovation seems to have hit an all-time low if appreciation is reflected by working conditions and payment levels.

I guess the underlying cause is not so much the concrete offerings of the employer (or the lack thereof), but the disregard and disrespect for academic education, research, and development that has been growing over the years, accelerated by the 2015-elect government, which refuses to invest into the future. Universities should not behave like companies trying to maximize their profit on the cost of their employees and the quality of their product. With some exceptions, everybody with a little bit of self-respect is participating. All major unions, including the students' and professors' union, are supporting this action. Apparently, professors will go on strike for the first time in the history of this country (https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish_professors_walk_out_in_first-...).