Full Support for the Industrial Union’s and PAM Strikes!

Ceasefire Now! demonstration, photo by Hannu Häkkinen.

Sumud – Finnish Palestine Network stands with the Industrial Union and Service Union United PAM strikes. We act in the spirit of international solidarity and defend fundamental human rights—from Finland to Palestine and vice versa.

Palestinian and Finnish trade unions have a long history of strikes and resistance in defense of the working class’s fundamental rights. While the realities of striking differ, the spirit of solidarity and human rights remains the same. Finnish workers are fighting against policies that exploit them; they are responding with resilience and determination. Palestinian trade unions face colonial repression, but they continue to disrupt business-as-usual, protesting against the Israeli military occupation and exploitation of Palestinian workers.

The Industrial Union’s labor strike across several technology and chemical industry companies in Finland and the Service Union United PAM strikes remind us that everything is political. These strikes aim to resolve deadlocked collective bargaining negotiations. Detailed information about the strike actions, affected workplaces, and companies can be found on the websites of the Industrial Union and PAM.

Through these strikes, the Industrial Union and PAM seek wage solutions that protect workers’ purchasing power, which has sharply declined in recent years. This struggle is part of a broader effort: the Industrial Union is setting the tone for collective bargaining across all sectors. Last fall, SAK-affiliated trade unions set a unified wage target of a 10% raise over a two-year period. The Industrial Union is now the first union fighting to secure this for its members. We support PAM’s demands for a €250 monthly salary increase, more full-time contracts, reductions in workload, greater control over shifts & work rates and paid training days. By demanding better wages and working conditions, both unions advocate for all wage earners in Finland. Their success is a victory for us all, and we deeply respect the courage of those participating in the strikes.

Our fights for justice are interconnected. Finland’s recent spending on arms and security has happened at the expense of basic human rights. Our taxes should be spent to protect us where we are and to support vulnerable Finnish communities. The Sumud Justice Not Arms campaign calls for an end to arms trade with countries which violate human rights, so that our labor in the technology and industries will not facilitate human right abuses. We learn from dock workers in countries like Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Tunisia and the United States, who have refused to load Israeli ships and cargo and transport arms to Israel.

Labor movements played a central role in the global solidarity that helped dismantle apartheid in the 1980s and stopped the Vietnam War. We believe it is time to collectively stand in solidarity with the Palestinian labor movement and develop strategies for holding the Finnish government, companies, parties, and unions accountable. We also encourage everyone to support grassroots campaigns like Laki Särmään, which mobilizes public pressure to ensure Finland’s defense procurements respect international human rights and humanitarian law.

We see these strikes as part of a wider movement in workplaces and communities, across Finland and globally, to reshape society in the interests of working class people. We invite all unionists and unions to centre Palestine and international solidarity.