Metropolia University lecturers strike again over pay cuts and working conditions

Lecturers at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences staged a second one-day strike on Monday, as contract negotiations with employer organisation Sivista remain deadlocked, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The walkout affects all four Metropolia campuses in Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. The dispute centres on Sivista’s proposed changes to the collective agreement for universities of applied sciences, which unions say would weaken job security and impose significant pay cuts on some teaching staff.

According to the Trade Union of Education (OAJ), the employer has proposed salary reductions of nearly 30% for new lecturers in technical and transport fields, and up to 20% for experienced staff. The cuts would apply to 24% of lecturers currently receiving an availability allowance.

Sivista’s labour market director Hanne Salonen defended the proposals, arguing the current automatic allowance system is outdated. She cited examples where language teachers in engineering programmes earn €1,000 more monthly than those teaching nursing students, despite similar qualifications.

Negotiations, mediated by Finland’s National Conciliator, will continue this week and next. Salonen described the talks as difficult, stating she does not expect a quick resolution. The OAJ has issued 12 strike warnings across Finnish universities of applied sciences, with further walkouts planned in Turku, Satakunta, and Jyväskylä over the coming weeks unless an agreement is reached.

This follows Metropolia’s historic first-ever strike on 8 April, part of a wave of six OAJ-organised walkouts nationwide.