Vanhanen lashes out at Tehy and political opposition

Tehy leader "surprised" at sharp tone of Prime Minister's speech

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) lashed out on Wednesday against Finland's opposition parties and the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals (Tehy) for their actions during the threat of industrial action by the union.
      In a speech at the Helsinki Chamber of Commerce, Vanhanen said that any of the parties currently in opposition would be "the weakest link" if the party were to be in government. The Prime Minister said that the demand that the industrial action be resolved with money, was irresponsible behaviour.
      "It openly accepted a setup in which nurses threaten people's health and lives with their threat of resignation, and the state is supposed to resolve the dispute with money. Representatives of the opposition underscored their view by voting against the patient safety bill."
      Vanhanen insists that the next government policy programme must be written in such a way that a similar situation is not allowed to occur.
      In addition, the Prime Minister made it understood that the parties now in opposition would be acceptable for the government only if they withdraw their calls for state intervention.
     
Returning to work after recovering from kidney problems, Vanhanen especially lashed out at Tehy. Attributing the sharp tone of his speech partly to the pain in his lower back, he called the mass resignation threat by Tehy a severe action, "which cannot be shrugged off".
      According to Vanhanen, the key issue in the Tehy action was the method that was used. "The resignations were aimed at circumventing the normal procedure of agreeing on the limits of industrial action in such a way that the harm caused to others is not unreasonable, which is part of a contract society."
      Vanhanen said that there should be reasonable limits to the use of power. "Normal behaviour of a contract society must be restored in labour market questions."
      The Prime Minister also criticised Tehy for not warning its members that each individual would have been criminally responsible if a patient had become disabled or had died because of the resignations.
     
Tehy chairwoman Jaana Laitinen-Pesola was surprised at the severe tone of Vanhanen's speech.
      "I won't take a stand on legalities. These are issues that should be discussed when the matter is not as hot", she said to Helsingin Sanomat.
      She also said that nurses are responsible for what they do only when they are at work - not when they are away from their work places.
      "We have sought to provide our members with all possible information. Our clear-cut instruction was that the law must be obeyed. We have done nothing illegal", she emphasised on Wednesday evening.
     
Also astounded by Vanhanen's speech was opposition Social Democratic Party secretary Marit Feldt-Ranta. The SDP is the largest opposition group in Parliament. Feldt-Ranta says that the Prime Minister's comments showed a lack of proportion.
      She accused Vanhanen and his government of trying to abdicate responsibility in the Tehy dispute by blaming others for the crisis.
      "The government developed an historic mess in the dispute over care, brought on a crisis on the labour market and in Finnish health care. It is shocking that Finland has a prime minister who does not see a role of any kind for himself, or responsibility for resolving the situation, even though the government would have all of the keys for it", said Feldt-Ranta.
      In her view, Vanhanen has neglected his duties to an exceptionally shocking degree, and the government has shirked its obligation to secure care services, thereby forcing local authorities to shoulder the pay hikes.
      In the view of Feldt-Ranta, Vanhanen's knowledge of labour market matters and his degree of responsibility are not at a level that one might expect from a prime minister.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nurses: contract accepted, resignations cancelled, disagreement on implementation (20.11.2007)
  Union of Salaried Employees offers to support Tehy (16.11.2997)

Helsingin Sanomat