Finland Times

The nationwide trade union demonstration on Friday was peaceful with about 30,000 demonstrators gathering at Helsinki Railway Station for the main event to protest the government proposed measures which have been perceived to undermine the working conditions in the name of improving competitiveness.

The event atmosphere was cheerful despite rain showers during the demonstration which lasted a couple of hours.

The mood became serious when trade union and opposition parties began to speak. The government representatives were heckled when they began to address the demonstrators.

The Confederation of Finnish Industries-EK disapproved the demonstration organised by the three trade union confederation, Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK, Finnish Confederation of Professionals-STTK and Akava.

According to EK calculations, the demonstration caused the economy about a hundred million euros in losses. The loss in production will be felt mainly in the processing industry.

The dreaded traffic congestion did not materialise despite the grounding of most of the public transport. Most opted for telecommuting or took leave.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä was originally schedule to brief the parliament on the austerity measures on September 30, however, the EU extra ordinary meeting will postpone the government update by a week. This offers more time for coming up with alternative measures.

Meanwhile, normalcy has resumed at the Helsinki Airport. Despite the demonstration, the flights experienced delays of just a few minutes. According to Finavia, the company which operates airports in the country, flights were delayed by 20 minutes in worst cases.

National flag carrier Finnair cancelled 15 domestic flights due to the demonstration, while British Airways cancelled one flight.