Rising living costs have caused a wave of strikes in Finland, ranging from the technology, chemical and plastics industries to retail workers and dockers. While unions have been quick to end the strikes, negotiating completely insufficient deals, it’s clear that the class struggle is sharpening in Finland on a wide front.

The Finnish government, led by Social Democrat PM Sanna Marin, faced a challenging spring even before the global crisis caused by the pandemic. Hailed as a left-winger and a radical reformer by liberal outlets and the international media upon taking office, her coalition government includes centre-right parties on the same platform as her predecessor Antti Rinne. She has already withdrawn her earlier stated support for reforms such as a six-hour workday and a four-day work week.

On Monday 25 November, all ships stayed in port, the buses stood still and the airplanes were grounded at Helsinki-Vantaa International airport. Finnish trade unions went on strike in support of the postal workers, who had decided to fight back against an attempt to force them to accept a worse collective bargaining agreement. After two and a half weeks of strikes, the postal workers won a crucial victory for the entire Finnish workers’ movement – but more battles lie ahead.

The Finnish Revolution is a proud chapter in the history of the international working class. Tragically, despite the tremendous energy expended by the masses, their leaders vacillated and betrayed the revolution. The forces of counterrevolution unleashed a bloodbath, which physically annihilated the flower of the working class, contributing to the encirclement and isolation of the Russian Revolution.

Trump and Putin’s meeting in Finland made headlines worldwide. Just like in other places, Trump’s visit was met with street protests in which thousands of workers and youth expressed their anger. This was despite the best efforts of the liberal organisers to water down the main protest’s message and create confusion about its time and location.

At least 15 000 people gathered on the Senate Square in Helsinki, Finland on saturday, September 24th to demonstrate their utter disgust at the nazis of the so called Finnish Resistance Movement who had the same month assaulted and beaten to death 28-year old Jimi Karttunen. Karttunen had courageously objected to the propaganda in the leaflets handed out during a street activity by the group, but his protests were met with the use of deadly force.

As the Eurozone lurches from crisis to crisis, and governments of the member states seek to unload the burden onto the poorest in society, people have been fighting back. From the titanic struggles in Greece and Spain, to the election of Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, we have seen the rise of powerful movements across the continent. Now, this radicalisation is beginning to have an effect in Finland with a major public sector strike.

Thunderstorms and heavy downpour greeted a national walkout by Finnish workers on Friday 18th September. Nevertheless tens of thousands braved the rain to demonstrate outside Helsinki Railway Station against Government proposals to ban long-standing collective bargaining agreements. Some 300 000 workers throughout Finland stopped work in defence of hard won holidays, sick pay, unsociable hours payments and a proposed 5% pay cut.