The SuPer Association of Nurses has begun preparations for a mass resignation campaign for healthcare workers in the event that a proposal to resolve an ongoing labor dispute is unsatisfactory.
The union’s board agreed on the measures at Thursday afternoon’s meeting, but details such as the timing will be revealed later.
Super chair Silja Paavola said that the possible action of the union will still depend on the type of proposal made by the conciliation board to resolve the dispute.
"We are trying to find a solution. Mass layoffs are a really drastic measure. Is it really necessary to take such steps to understand the nurses’ distress call for severe labor shortages?" Paavola asked.
Elina PylkkänenThe Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labor told Yle that the settlement proposal is expected to be completed this week.
"The conversation was in good spirits, so don’t panic about this [mass resignation] thing," Paavola said.
He added that at the heart of the controversy is a chronic shortage of nurses that could be remedied by improving the wages and conditions for health workers, which have already been agreed in collective agreements in the sector.
"Reasonable progress has been made," Paavola added.
Tehy supports a collective divorce plan
Another controversial union, Tehy, backed SuPer’s mass divorce plan on Tuesday, but has yet to reveal whether it intends to follow suit.
Make a chair Millaikka Rytkönen said the organization is in no hurry, and possible actions will be decided only after receiving and reviewing the settlement proposal.
The unions canceled a planned strike, which was due to begin before Easter, in response to a threat from the law that could have forced the striking nurses back to work.
The unions argued that the planned law would have abolished the right of nurses to strike.