Today, OAJ, Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL and Federation of Public and Private Sector Employees Jyty issued a notice of strike of one day (26 April) concerning fifteen private schools in Helsinki. The strike day will follow the previously announced strike days on 19–25 April. The notice of strike ensures that the collective agreement negotiations are taken to the National Conciliator's office.
OAJ, Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL and the Federation of Public and Private Sector Employees Jyty issued a second notice of strike today on 11 April. The strike is scheduled for 26 April. If no agreement can be reached, an eight-day strike will begin on 19 April, the last day of which will be Tuesday, 26 April (previously 25 April).
The second notice of strike was issued because Sivista had unexpectedly claimed at the first conciliation meeting that the negotiations had not been concluded on 2 April. With the second notice of strike, OAJ, JHL and Jyty ensure that the contract negotiations are taken to the National Conciliator.
Both strikes will take place, on 19–25 April and 26 April, respectively, unless an outcome is reached in the negotiations. According to OAJ, JHL and Jyty, the strikes are legal and participation is mandatory. The unions are responsible for the strike.
The strikes would affect the following schools: Apollo School, the English School of Helsinki, Deutsche Schule Helsinki, Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Helsingin Uusi yhteiskoulu, Helsingin yhteislyseo, Herttoniemen yhteiskoulu, the International School of Helsinki, Kulosaari Secondary School, Lauttasaaren yhteiskoulu, Maunula Secondary School and Helsinki School of Mathematics, Munkkiniemen yhteiskoulu, Oulunkylän yhteiskoulu, Pohjois-Haagan yhteiskoulu and Töölön yhteiskoulu.
The threat of strike for private schools in Helsinki coincides with the announced extensive strike in municipal sector in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
The interruption of the negotiations concerns both the private sector collective agreement and the agreement for vocational adult education centres. In total, these cover some 9,400 OAJ members. In addition to general private education schools, the private education agreement applies to a number of vocational institutions and almost all universities of applied sciences, basic arts education and liberal adult education institutions, folk high schools and sports institutes, among others.
In addition to teachers, Sivista’s agreements apply to the administrative and support personnel of educational institutions represented by JHL and Jyty.