A potential strike will significantly affect the police services in Southeastern Finland starting on Tuesday, April 2, 2025, and ending on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Police patrols will handle tasks that pose a threat to life or health.
During the strike, the police will handle only the tasks that are essential to prevent a threat to citizens' life or health, or to protect property that is especially at risk due to the labor dispute. Citizens can still call the emergency number 112 in life-threatening or health-threatening situations during the strike.
Police patrols working on protection tasks will handle urgent duties during the strike. These duties include tasks that are essential to prevent a threat to life or health or to protect property that is particularly at risk due to the labor dispute. Other police departments near Southeastern Finland Police Department can support the patrols of Southeastern Finland only in tasks related to protection work. Necessary first actions and investigations related to crimes against life and health will also be handled.
- The human resources of the Southeastern Finland Police Department available for essential work have been negotiated with the trade unions. During the strike, our resources will be much more limited than usual, says Police Chief Ari Karvonen.
- We will make the most of these resources to perform the essential duties and to ensure the safety at work of our staff during the strike. The essential duties will be carried out by experienced and extremely professional staff.
All five Southeastern Finland Police Stations will be closed to customers on strike
Kouvola Main Police Station as well as police stations at Kotka, Lappeenranta, Imatra and Hamina will all be closed to customers on strike days. The police stations will mainly have personnel working on protection tasks.
This means that:
- Southeastern Finland Police Department’s crime report reception will be closed at all police stations. Crime reports can be made online or at any other police station according to their service hours.
- Southeastern Finland Police Department’s permit services will be closed at all police stations on strike days. The police will not be able to serve customers who have an appointment for applying for a passport, ID card, firearm license, or private security license between Tuesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 24. Similarly, the police will not be able to accept customers with appointments for firearm presentations on the strike days. No separate message will be sent to customers regarding appointment cancellations due to the strike. Customers whose appointments are canceled due to the strike must rebook an appointment through the police electronic service. Queue number customers will be served again on Friday, April 25, according to the regular station-specific opening hours. In urgent permit matters, police stations from other departments will serve customers during the strike according to their service hours.
- Southeastern Finland Police Department’s lost property services will be closed at all police stations on strike days. Lost property services will resume according to regular opening hours after the strike.
- Southeastern Finland Police Department will not be able to accept asylum or temporary protection applications at their police stations on strike days. Applications can be submitted at any other police station.
The police online service will be available during the strike
The police online serviceLink to an external websiteOpens in a new tab will be available as usual during the strike. Through online services, one can file a crime report or start an application for a passport or an ID card. The staff of Southeastern Finland Police Department will begin processing reports and applications submitted on strike days immediately after the strike ends.
What is the strike about?
On April 7, the Finnish Labour Market Authority received a labor dispute notification concerning police services, which affects all tasks of Southeastern Finland Police Department. The strike concerns the negotiations of a state collective agreement between the Finnish Labour Market Authority, the Negotiation Organization for Public Sector Professionals (JUKO ry), Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL ry), and Trade Union Pro The strike is not a protest by the police or the staff of Southeastern Finland Police Department against the employer.
The Police Board has negotiated with the unions regarding tasks excluded from the strike, specifically protection work. Southeastern Finland Police Department was also involved in the negotiations, focusing especially on the tasks handled as protection work and the resources needed to manage them.
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