A mediation board set up to resolve threatened industrial action by the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals (Tehy) suspended its discussions at noon on Thursday. However, discussions are set to continue in different compositions over the weekend.
National Conciliator Juhani Salonius said that he will not be able to put forward a mediation proposal any time soon. "There are meetings all the time, but we are still very far apart from each other."
The chairman of the group, Archiatre Risto Pelkonen agreed that the difficulties are difficult, but insisted that progress had been made.
"All the time we are making a serious effort, but there are a few problems in the way." Pelkonen and Salonius then went to inform the government about the situation.
The Finnish government had hoped that it might have been informed by Thursday morning that the threat of the mass resignations by thousands of Finnish nurses might be receding. The nurses affiliated with Tehy have warned that they will resign as of November 19th if their demands for significant wage increases are not met.
On Thursday the government said that it would give Parliament a proposal for legislation for a special law that would place restrictions
