For the past two centuries, Helsinki’s Senate Square has been a symbol of academic, clerical, and government power in Finland. The main campus of the University of Helsinki lies on the western side, and the Government Palace, housing the Cabinet Office, on the east; overlooking the square from the north are the facade and green domes of Helsinki Cathedral.

This February 1, Senate Square saw some thirteen thousand striking workers and their supporters assemble in the midday winter sun, to protest against Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government, a coalition of center-right and far-right parties. A nationwide day of action had been called by SAK and STTK, the largest confederations of Finnish trade unions. Some three hundred thousand workers, from lorry drivers and electricians to kindergarten teachers and white-collar office workers, across the country were on strike.

A month and a half later, the standoff between the trade unions and the Finnish government is ongoing. As of mid-March, seven thousand dockworkers and industrial workers are on strike, grinding the country’s maritime exports and some imports to a standstill.