Work, Peace, Basic Security!
The Communist Party together with those who advocate change
During the current legislature, unemployment has increased by one hundred thousand, and the lines up for soup continue to grow. Government and parties represented in parliament have taken decisions, which have accelerated the run-down of public services and the transfer of money from the poor into the pockets of the rich. Finland is placed under the domination of EU’s foreign political leadership and our country is drawn into NATO membership.
Such development is the result of political decisions. Notwithstanding, different choices are possible. The Communist Party of Finland believes that we need to take a radical turn, which places the human being in the centre of gravity of policymaking rather than faith in the market, in big corporations and the power of civil servants.
1. What kind of Finland we want?
We need a six-hour working day
Work generates prosperity, but as a result of growth in labour productivity, people have to spend less working time for the production of their basic needs than before. Advances in technology produce structural unemployment. Therefore, working time has to be reduced to 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week, without cutting the employees’ pay. The reform would reduce unemployment. It would give people time for self-development, for family life and social activity.
We can move towards a two six-hour shift pattern, whereby production efficiency will rise and opening hours of services will expand.
Unemployment will not be eradicated with tricks, or forcing people in the name employment to accept unpaid work. Employment policy must promote well-being and self-empowerment, and it must not be only a means to force people into work under poor conditions. The most important thing is to create real jobs.
Previous governments have relied on markets to solve the employment problem. The circumstances prevailing during the recession have emphasized the consequences of this short-sighted policy. According to statistics of the employment authorities, Finland counts more than 300 000 unemployed, and globally over 450 000 persons are out of job. Finnish companies prefer to transfer their profits to tax havens rather than investing them in the real economy.
Rather than trusting the market, the state, municipalities and the public sector must create jobs through a billion-dollar investment program. New production areas must be developed, for example, environmentally friendly energy production, sustainable construction and information technologies
CPF believes that the reduction of unemployment is the most effective way to extend the working careers, and that the retirement age must not be raised. General retirement age must be kept at 63 years, and those who work in extremely demanding professions must enjoy the possibility to retire already at the age of 58. Lowering the retirement age is also one of the best ways to create employment for young people. Casual work and zero-hour contracts benefit above all employers. All employees must be guaranteed the right to full-time work and a decent livelihood.
The public sector has to be democratized and employees must have decision-making power in affairs concerning them. Workers’ power and trade union rights must be enhanced in private companies as well. Attempts to weaken protection against dismissal must be combated; likewise attacks on the shop steward system as well as on the right to strike must be prevented. Employees must enjoy the right to interpret collective agreements. Workers cooperatives expand democracy in the workplace.
Workers’ strength is their mutual solidarity. All must be guaranteed the same rights to citizenship, regardless of sex and origin.
• For a 6-hour day and a 30-hour week, without reduction of earnings!
• The public sector must create jobs and engage in new ecological production!
• No to a rise in the retirement age!
The “Sote” (social and health care) project must be rejected and replaced by quality local services
The Communist Party calls for the abandoning of the anti-democratic “Sote” project, which undermines basic services. Statutory primary health care services are to be organized in the form of democratic, free, local services. They must not be privatized for profit making purposes.
This requires a sufficiently strong local self-government, which takes care of organizing basic services. Self-government has to be secured the necessary funding. This implies the cancellation of cuts in State subsidies implemented by previous governments, introducing progressive taxation at municipal level and applying it to capital income.
Local democracy must be strengthened through local participatory budgeting, through which residents make the decisions regarding the use of funds allocated for their residential areas.
In addition, following various examples in Europe, there is a need for a new level of elected regional council between the municipal and State level, and which will be funded by the State and which will be given responsibility for specialized health care and other highly specialized services, which at present are produced by unclear joint municipal boards managed by officials.
The reform should give higher priority to social work. In this respect, social workers and social services clients must be consulted. In the future, low threshold easy access to preventive services connected to basic health care must be ensured.
The Communist Party pursues as a key objective the narrowing down of health inequalities both between regions and between rich and poor. Failed and excessively costly privatized services must be returned under public responsibility to meet the interest of citizens.
The production of services must consider the obligation vis-à-vis different groups of people and enjoy adequate resources. For example, resources must be made available to guarantee the implementation of the Act on services for the elderly, the Act on services for disabled persons or the Act on care guarantee. Health services must be produced mainly as a separate activity, and as far as persons with specific needs are concerned, competitive tendering is to be condemned. It must be possible to use Services without having to revert to a computer or Internet connection.
1200 € basic social security will put an end to the jungle of various support schemes
It is imperative to correct the current lack of sufficient basic social security and to simplify the jungle of support schemes by introducing a basic income security at a level of 1200 €, which must be guaranteed through a one-stop office for all Finnish citizens or permanently residents in Finland: students, pensioners, ill or unemployed persons, and all those who would not otherwise be able to obtain a livelihood.
Basic social security is an untaxed income free from any obligation. In addition to basic social security, other discretionary forms of aid, such as housing allocation, many other social policy schemes, e.g. child benefits, must be maintained. Income connected benefits must not be removed. Basic social security must also apply to over indebted persons and it must be indexed.
In addition to 1200 € basic social security, it is necessary to pass a law on a minimum wage of 1800 EUR and to establish a ceiling for oversized retirement pensions. The lower limit of taxable income is to be raised 1 200 EUR. Thus it will always be worthwhile to accept a job and the income gap will narrow.
The reform will be financed by taxing progressively higher salaries, reintroducing compulsory contribution to the social security fund for large enterprises, raising company tax and tightening substantially capital income taxation, which must be made progressive.
Poverty and homelessness must be eradicated. Blaming the poor for their own condition must be stopped. Conditioned and participatory social security must be rejected. Basic social security must be completed through affordable housing and free local services.
No to NATO, Yes to a Policy of Peace!
Finland should not join NATO or any other military alliances. Military cooperation with the EU and consolidating military relations with Sweden are steps towards NATO. The recently signed host country agreement represents a major step towards the scrapping of Finland’s independent security policy. The majority of citizens clearly oppose NATO membership and military alliance. Finland must denounce the host country agreement and disrupt cooperation with NATO.
Finland needs an independent foreign policy. We have to rely on independent decision-making and must not accept EU command or the EU development towards a federal State. Finland needs independent relations with its neighbours and other countries. The crisis in Ukraine emphasizes the need for an independent policy towards Russia. Finland must break away from the sanctions against Russia, because they do not help to solve the crisis and weaken the state of the economy.
Intercultural cooperation, peace policy and ensuring social stability by meeting basic human needs is the best security policy. Finland must act in international crises as a neutral peace mediator. Democratic international co-operation must be channelled through impartial international organizations such as the UN or the OSCE.
Troops must be pulled out of Afghanistan. The State of Palestine and Western Sahara’s independence must be recognized. Rights of indigenous people should be safeguarded. Finland must be active for the lifting of the embargo against Cuba. The minimum duration of civil service must be reduced, and conscientious objection must be accepted without consequences such as the obligation to perform other forms of service.
CPF says clearly no to racism.
2. Upon what are we building our future?
Free and future oriented education
Finnish comprehensive school system has been a progressive and successful reform. It must not be dismantled; to the contrary, our equitable comprehensive school system must be developed and updated. The need for local proximity schools will not disappear. The conditions of the school buildings must be updated in order to ensure safety and health.
Class sizes must be reduced. Pupils with special support needs must be given adequate and individual support. Instead of being subject of continuous competition and evaluation through numbers, pupils must be treated as individuals. The continuity of different phases of teaching must be developed and schools should be seen as promoter of collective culture.
Teaching material is to be democratized and produced jointly by peer methods. Expert visits to classes must be enhanced and non-formal learning must be supported through improved use of other public services such as libraries.
Education must be free at all educational levels right up to the university level – including for foreign students. Quality teacher education must be ensured and teachers must be given sufficient time to develop their work. Schools, teaching methods and material must be updated. On the job training as part of the curriculum must provide decent training opportunities.
Education must encourage responsibility and social activity. Rather than teaching to memorize, education should focus on management of complex realities, on learning and application of knowledge and on human values such as solidarity and peace work. Democracy in schools needs to be developed, and employees as well as pupils must be given more power in matters concerning the functioning of schools.
Universities and scientific research must be exempt from business control through greater public funding. Small colleges must be maintained to ensure the equity in education. The teaching of Swedish and Sami languages must be guaranteed.
An authentic Act on pre-school education is needed to guarantee every child the subjective right to a place in a kindergarten with personnel, which has sufficient university level education. The size of groups has to be reduced by law.
Decentralized self-sufficiency and ecologically sustainable development as objectives
Emphasis has to be placed on ecological energy production and on support for development and research of renewable, environmentally friendly and decentralized energy production methods, instead of nuclear energy. Energy production must be socially owned and democratically controlled.
Energy efficiency and energy savings must be increased substantially. The construction of new buildings must be energy-efficient; they must produce more energy than the energy needed for their residents. A project of geothermal deployment must be launched to save energy.
We need to create a new model of economic development that does not threaten the planet’s ecological yield and sustainability. Sustainable economic development is based on the development of energy and resource-saving technologies, on recycling, renewable energies and on preservation of biodiversity.
Maximizing self-sufficiency in food and energy production must be set as an objective. The selling out of State-owned production facilities and of Finnish natural resources to private and often transnational companies must be stopped immediately.
Mining should be authorized only to Finnish state companies, soil exploration activities must be considered as pertaining to the national wealth and environmental regulations of mining are to be tightened. When establishing mines local residents must be given decision-making power. Mining companies must pay property tax to municipalities, and in addition a mining tax must be introduced. Metals disposed of in landfills must be used.
Durable consumer goods must be produced and replace the culture of throw-away goods. We have to move from conspicuous consumption to move a reasonable lifestyle, which is supported by local and organic production. Different industries must strive for decentralized systems and the development of co-operatives.
High utilization of technology
Public transport must be developed focusing on rail transport. Remote areas must be ensured good public transport for example on the basis of transport on call and public subsidies. The aim is to introduce gradually free public transport throughout the country.
Information technology must move towards the use of open source and open standards. State and local government are to develop their own IT and citizens as well as civil society organizations must be involved in the development process.
Data produced by the public sector must be accessible for the benefit of democracy and participation, and not only for large companies and profitmaking.
Everyone should be have the possibility to use information technology. People have to be offered the right to affordable and comprehensive IT support. Instead of renewing the hardware, focus should be placed on improving the software and reducing energy consumption. Electronic control of people must be fought and privacy guaranteed.
3. How can this be achieved?
Income distribution must be modified
Changing income distribution is a key factor in achieving a better future. In Finland, the rapid growth of income inequality must be reversed, and wealth must be transferred from the wealthiest one percent to the vast majority of the people. We need a radical tax reform. It is imperative to put an end to the practice of taxing pensioners harsher than wage earners.
Capital income has to be taxed in the same way as salary income, and tax progressivity has to be tightened. Finland must prevent tax evasion and play an active role for the abolition of tax havens. VAT on food and other basic commodities must be lowered considerably. Corporate income tax must be raised and the employers’ contribution of big corporations to social security insurance must be restored. Tax exemption of capital income in municipal taxation must be discontinued, and capital income must be part of progressive municipal taxation schemes. We also need a stock exchange transaction tax as well as an international transfer tax. Private wealth tax for the wealthiest must be restored.
Wages and salaries should be raised by law following at least the productivity growth.
Democracy must be extended
The EU has chained Finland’s independent decision-making. CPF is part of the European and international anti-austerity and anti-capitalist movement and class struggle. We demand the cancellation of EU fiscal compact, the restoration of national sovereignty and the return to another Europe. It is based on citizens’ and peoples’ equality, socially and ecologically sustainable development, democracy and international solidarity.
Finland must resolutely oppose negotiations on investment and free trade agreements, such as the TAFTA between EU and the US and the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). The ratification of the CETA agreement between the EU and Canada must be revoked and its entry into force prevented. These free trade agreements are a threat to democracy, as they could override national law. The agreements would also entail major deterioration of existing legislation and endanger jobs.
Banks and other financial institutions must be placed under social ownership.
Democracy must be extended to all sectors of society. New forms of democracy, such as direct referenda, workplace democracy, participatory budgeting and local democracy must be reinforced. Instead of large municipalities we need greater possibilities for residents to bring their influence to bear. Municipal self-government cannot be reduced.
Also, minorities must be guaranteed the right to their own culture and expression. There is a need to advance towards all forms of equality, such as the rights of sexual minorities, and to promote feminist initiatives. We need a Trans Act, which safeguards the rights of transgender people. The Communist Party supports third gender recognition.
ILO 169 Convention on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples must be ratified and inherent land rights for the Sami must be safeguarded
Forwards through workers and citizens’ cooperation
CPF will still be the party of working people after the elections. We believe in human being’s ability to make changes and to act on their own initiative in order to improve their position. We want to give voice to the working people, students, pensioners, trade union and civil society activists, and others who currently are trampled by big money. We carry out the principles contained in this program in non-governmental organizations and mass activities, and we are always ready to discuss cooperation possibilities. To break the power of capital we need the joint power of the labour movement and civil society movements, we need class struggle.
The objectives and measures outlined in this program offer the possibility to pave the way towards a better future, out of the crises of capitalism and towards a new kind of 21st century socialism.
CPF
