Union tells government to plan ahead

The Finnish government needs to outline a national higher education strategy to allow universities to anticipate future budget and policy changes, the national union Akava has said.

In a statement on 16 December, the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff called on the government to clearly outline its long-term policy to give institutions more time to adapt to change. Universities should be able to plan their activities at least 15 years down the road, according to Akava, which means they must be informed about the direction and timeframe of government policy change.

As part of on-going higher education and research budget cuts, the government has ordered universities to outline reform plans that include cooperation, pooling of resources, and mergers. “The cuts will seriously threaten Finland’s future if we do not at least have a long-term vision about how our future should be built,” said head of Akava Sture Fjäder.