The strike by trade unions on 3.-9.5. will close the majority of the day care centres and family day-care homes in the City of Oulu

The Trade Union JHL, Trade Union Jyty, as well as the Negotiation Organisation for Public Sector Professionals JUKO will carry out a work stoppage on 3.-9.5.2022.  Most of the staff in early childhood education and care will be affected by the strike, and only a small number of staff will be at work during the strike. 

During the strike most of the day care centres and family day-care homes will be closed and statutory early childhood education and pre-primary education will not be provided.  Some family day-care workers may be at work and may be able to care for their groups of children as normal.  There will be no open early childhood education and family clubs for children and families during this period.

The Educational and Culture Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday 2.5.2022 to decide on the suspension of pre-primary education in the municipal services for the duration of the possible strike.  

In this challenging situation we hope that you can organize your child’s care for the period 3.-9.5.2022 yourself. Any days of absence due to the strike will be compensated in the client fees. 

We guarantee a service primarily for the children of staff operating in the critical tasks for the functioning of society, i.e. healthcare and social welfare, fire and rescue services, and the police. 

If there are places still available in day care centres for children other than those mentioned above, such children will be received at the day care centres that remain open on strike days as and when they arrive.  The number of children admitted to the day care centres will not exceed the legal limits for group size and staffing.  Places cannot be reserved in advance.

You can enquire about available places in any of the open day care centres in advance daily from Tuesday 3.5. between 8am and 10am from the managers of the day care centres.  

Only a small number of staff at the child’s own day care centres remaining open will be at work, as well as staff who will transfer from other day care centres.   The familiar staff will not necessarily be present, and the groups will be formed from the children attending. 

The child’s details in writing to be taken to the day care centre

Since the child may be cared for by someone other than his/her own familiar staff, the custodian should give the staff, in writing, the child’s name, date of birth, name of the child’s own day care centre, the names and contact information of the custodians, as well as the child’s allergies, medical conditions and any other issues the staff should be aware of.   

During the strike it will not be possible to administer medications for the child’s medical condition, nor other special support services or transport to day care centres.

Meals will be offered in the day care centres that stay open.  Unfortunately, during the strike special diets cannot be catered for. If your child can be accommodated in an open day care centre, and follows a special diet, please provide a packed lunch for him/her with the child’s name on it.

The following day care centres will be open 3.-9.5.2022:

We are not able to accurately anticipate the number of persons at work during strike days.  For this reason and also due to unexpected sick leave the number of open day care centres and the operating hours may need to be reduced. 

Northern Area: 

• Ruiskukka day care centre, Mervi Kilpeläinen (tue-fri) tel. 044 703 6931, Anu Heikkinen (sat-sun) p. 040 512 8291 ja Juhani Jarva (mon 9.5.) p. 050 374 7949
• Länsituuli day care centre, Anu Heikkinen  tel. 040 512 8291
• Kuivasjärvi day care centre, Sari Kelavuori tel. 050 461 7535  

Eastern Area:

• Kiiminkijoki day care centre, Suvi Pehkonen tel. 044 497 0756
• Hintta day care centre, Eeva-Liisa Vilmi tel. 044 703 5415

Central Area:  

• Ainola day care centre, Varpula Group (extended opening hours), Päivi Karppinen tel. 044 703 5410 and Leena Uimaniemi, tel. 044 703 5337
• Värttö day care centre, Rauni Kortetjärvi tel. 044 703 5357 and Mikko Gröhn tel. 044 703 5440
• Kisakenttä day care centre, Marjo Särkimäki tel. 044 703 5481 and Marjo de Figueiredo Neto tel. 044 703 4046

Southern Area: 

• Pitkäkangas day care centre, Seppo Leiviskä tel. 044 703 5392
• Kuukkeli day care centre (extended opening hours), Johanna Kallio tel. 044 703 5321
• Savotta-aukio day care centre, Ulla Leiviskä tel. 044 703 5375
• Maikkula day care centre, Marja Kailasuo tel. 050 527 7000

The manager of your child’s daycare centre or family daycare home supervisor will advise you more precisely of details of the daycare centre where early childhood education will be provided during the strike days, as well as the opening hours of the unit.  

If the industrial action is cancelled, our services will operate as usual and we will inform you as soon as possible.

If you have made other arrangements, as per our previous request, for your child’s care during the strike, and these cannot be cancelled at short notice, we will credit you for the days of absence due to the threat of a strike, as indicated in advance in the customer fees.    

Information regarding the possible cancellation of industrial action may well arrive at a late stage.  We therefore ask you, as custodians, to check the website of the City of Oulu at: www.ouka.fi on the days preceding the strike.

We apologise for this situation and hope that families will understand. 

Best regards, 

Mika Penttilä, Director of Educational and Cultural Services and Miia Kemppi, Director of Early Childhood Education