Finnish railway workers stage nationwide strike

A strike by railway workers' union RAU will stop all rail services in Finland as of March 20.

The strike began at one minute past midnight and will continue for the time being. The majority of cargo trains are also cancelled, according to YLE.

As VR, the state-owned rail company, is cancelling all long-distance and local trains, the company said it will refund customers whose tickets coincide with the strike. VR said it won't charge passengers for changing booked tickets during the shutdown.

The strike by railway engine drivers relates to ongoing collective agreement negotiations, particularly in regard to pay and conditions.

"Negotiations between Palta and RAU will also continue during the strike. Our hope is that there will be a resolution soon," VR spokesperson Laura Ansaharju said in a statement.

As the strike has no end date, VR said it was cancelling trains one day at a time, with March 20 departures cancelled on March 19.

VR said it will automatically refund in-app customers affected by the strike within a week. The company also encouraged passengers to alter tickets using the VR app as customer service agents may be busy.

Customers who have purchased paper tickets from machines or R-Kioski newsstands will need to log on to the VR website(siirryt toiseen palveluun) to claim refunds.

The National Conciliator's Office, which is mediating the dispute, tweeted that the two sides (Service Sector Employers' group Palta and railway workers' union RAU) were still too far apart to find common ground, adding that negotiations would continue early this week.