Riku Aalto, the chairperson of the Industrial Union, and Sami Ryynänen, a chief shop steward for Neste in Porvoo, unveiled plans to hold a two-day strike early next year at a news conference in Helsinki on Thursday, 28 December 2023. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto – Lehtikuva)
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THE FINNISH Industrial Union on Thursday announced it intends to organise a two-day strike at two industrial areas in early February.
The strike will cover roughly 2,000 employees represented by the union and effectively shut down activities at Kokkola Industrial Park and Kilpilahti in Porvoo on 1–2 February. The former is the site of a number of chemical industry companies and the latter that of, for example, the oil refinery of Neste.
The strike will indirectly affect some 7,000 employees.
Trade Union Pro announced later yesterday it will stage concurring two-day work stoppages at 14 workplaces located mostly at the two areas.
The strikes will be held in protest of the labour market reforms and social security cuts pursued by the government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), confirmed Sami Ryynänen, the chief shop steward for Neste in Kilpilahti. Ryynänen described the measures as a blow to the heart of employee benefits, employee rights and the terms and conditions of employment.
The Industrial Union assured that the strikes will neither cause fuel shortages nor endanger security of supply or critical societal functions. Chairperson Riku Aalto reiterated his demand that the government engage in genuine discussions on the measures with the labour movement.
“We won’t tolerate the effort to weaken employee rights and terms of employment. Closing the Kokkola and Kilpilahti industrial areas isn’t a decision we made lightly, but it’s still just a warning shot,” he said. “There’ll be further industrial actions unless the government launches genuine discussions on issues related to working life.”
Neste on Thursday responded to the announcement in a short statement sent to YLE, saying it is evaluating the effects of the possible strike and the precautionary measures it could necessitate.
Mika Aalto, the managing director of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, estimated that the strike will cast the country in poor light in the eyes of investors and have a negative impact on export industries that extends beyond its two-day duration because of the long start-up times of production plants.
“In continuous process industries, we aren’t talking about losing two days of production but we may be talking about weeks,” he said.
Also the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) expressed its regret about the strike.
“This is very regrettable. Finland and Finnish companies are faced with a very challenging economic situation. These kinds of strikes jeopardise the jobs and economic well-being of Finns,” Ilkka Oksala, a director at EK, stated to YLE.
The Finnish government has shown no signs of willingness to back down on its policy proposals.
Minister of Employment Arto Satonen (NCP) on Thursday called for patience from all parties, adding that while the details of the measures can be discussed no single party can have the right to veto government decisions.
“Finland’s economic situation is very difficult, and we should be able to resolve these issues at home. Doing nothing isn’t an option because our current employment rate isn’t high enough to fund the services and safety net of the welfare society,” he said to the public broadcasting company.
Also Satonen voiced his concern that the strikes could dent the global reputation of Finland.
“They’re very significant, and they’ll cause harm to companies, meaning those that pay employees’ wages. They paint Finland in a poor light as an investment destination. They also show that there’s a need to reform the industrial peace legislation,” he added.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
