Ursula von der Leyen, the president-designate of the European Commission, has said she will propose the introduction of an EU-wide statutory minimum wage. (Kenzo Tribouillard – AFP/Lehtikuva)

NORDISKA UNIONEN, a Nordic confederation of trade unions in the grocery sector, has voiced its reservations about the idea of adopting a minimum wage across the European Union.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president-designate of the European Commission, revealed during her leadership campaign that she will propose that a statutory minimum wage be introduced for employees across the 28-country bloc.

Protesters in central Helsinki on Saturday (image: Lehtikuva)

PROTESTERS GATHERED IN CENTRAL HELSINKI on Saturday to protest the deportations of Afghan asylum seekers, a practice that Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned and which is likely in breach of UN guidelines. 

Central American migrants and asylum seekers await a bus near the US border on Friday (Image: Lehtikuva)

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES has upheld a Trump Administration law that prevents virtually all Central and South American migrants from seeking asylum in the country, reversing decades of asylum policy. 

A screen capture of a one-euro listing of a 503-square-metre commercial property in Merihaka, Helsinki. (Screen capture – Etuovi.com)

AN UNUSUAL 29-room, 503-square-metre property is for sale in Merihaka, Helsinki.

The massive commercial property, which is currently housing a hostel, is listed for a price of one euro, but the listing states clearly, in capital letters, that the property will be sold on the basis of offers – a detail that appears to have gone unnoticed by some prospective buyers.

Sirpa Paatero (SDP), the Minister of Local Government and Ownership Steering, has revealed that the government has begun considering what to do with Posti. (Roni Rekomaa – Lehtikuva)

SOMETHING has to be done about Posti, views Sirpa Paatero (SDP), the Minister of Local Government and Ownership Steering.

Paatero on Thursday estimated on YLE Radio 1 that the Finnish state-owned postal services provider cannot continue its operations in their current form and added that the government is weighing up its options when it comes to the company.

Posti in August announced it is looking to create cost savings of up to 200 million by 2021. (Jussi Nukari – Lehtikuva)

POSTI, the Finnish state-owned postal services provider, is intent on slashing the wages of up to 8,000 employees, according to information obtained by Helsingin Sanomat.

Media reports that emerged some two weeks ago indicated that the state-owned service provider is set to slash the base wages of roughly 700 parcel-handling employees in order to align them with those of its competitors.

Katri Kulmuni, the newly appointed chairperson of the Centre Party, outlined her policy objectives in Helsinki on Thursday, 12 September 2019. (Martti Kainulainen – Lehtikuva)

KATRI KULMUNI, the newly appointed chairperson of the Centre Party, shed light on her views on a broad range of issues including immigration, child poverty, and economic and employment policy in a speech delivered in front of the party faithful in Helsinki on Thursday.

“The Centre wants to eradicate poverty in families with children in Finland,” she outlined.

A German solider on board a warship on Wednesday (image: Lehtikuva)

US NAVAL FORCES have joined up with dozens of warships from 18 countries, including Germany and Denmark, in the Baltic Sea for one of the largest NATO exercises of the year. 

Prime Minister Antti Rinne (SDP) took part in a panel discussion organised in conjunction with Kuntamarkkinat in Helsinki on Wednesday, 11 September 2019. (Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva)

PRIME MINISTER Antti Rinne (SDP) has conceded that the government does not have the funds needed to hire 4,000 new nurses and physicians by the end of the current electoral term, provoking the dismay of the Finns Party and the National Coalition.

It has been estimated that 4,000 health care professionals are required to raise the staffing level at facilities providing around-the-clock care to 0.7 per patient.

Jutta Urpilainen (SDP), the European commissioner-designate for international partnerships, spoke to Finnish reporters outside the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels on Tuesday, 10 September 2019. (Anniina Luotonen – Lehtikuva)

THE PRELIMINARY DISTRIBUTION of European Commission portfolios has kindled a heated debate in Finland.

Jutta Urpilainen (SDP), the Finnish nominee to the European Commission, was on Tuesday announced as the commissioner-designate for international partnerships – to the disappointment of those who had expected her to be in the running for a role with more budgetary and legislative influence.