Labour Court finds bus strike illegal; stoppage set to expand on Friday (UPDATED 14:00)

Fewer than a third of lines operated by affected bus companies will run today

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 The partial bus strike in the Greater Helsinki Metropolitan Area continues to hinder local and suburban commuting for the third day. On Thursday more than half of the suburban bus routes, as well as the local routes in Espoo and Vantaa, are at a standstill.
      Some of Helsinki's local bus traffic is also affected by the stoppage. The duration of the action remains uncertain.
      "The strike continues. We will see this thing through", confirmed Connex and Concordia chief shop stewards Jari Kopra and Risto Vesa. A moment earlier on Wednesday evening, both men had received the news of the Labour Court denouncing the strike.
     
The Labour Court has ordered the drivers' associations of the Concordia and Connex bus companies, and the Finnish Road Transport Workers' Union (AKT), jointly to pay a fine of EUR 20,000 for breach of commitment to industrial peace.
      The employees' side insists the Court's ruling does not change anything.
      "We seek to start negotiating with the employers' side. Without negotiations the strike will continue on Thursday as well", the chief shop stewards affirmed.
      The employers, in turn, are refusing to engage in any negotiations, as they claim the established collective labour agreement is still in effect.
      Managing director Hannu Parvela of the Road Transport Employers' Union (ALT) insists on the immediate ending of the action. "When the Labour Court finds a strike illegal, it has to be terminated."
      "The workers on strike will receive another writ of summons today if they don't go back to work", Parvela remarks.
     
According to Connex Finland director Ilkka Loimusto, just over a third of the lines caught up in the stoppage were run on Wednesday. Connex and Concordia dispatched around 150 or so buses, which was a couple of dozen more than the day before.
      Loimusto confirms that on Wednesday some of the striking drivers returned to their jobs, especially in Espoo. Connex Vantaa chief shop steward Jori Kopra, on the other hand, insists that not one driver in Vantaa crossed the picket line.
     
Residents with long-term travelcards to the capital area public transportation can expect compensation for the time of the stoppage, when they had to resort to other forms of transportation. Details will become available in due course.
     
BREAKING NEWS: The strike involving bus drivers in the Greater Helsinki area is set to spread on Friday to five other cities: Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, and Pori.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Bus companies managed to run some departures on strikebound lines; dispute continues (10.11.2004)
  Drivers of three bus companies begin strike in Helsinki region (9.11.2004)

Links:
  YTV Details of available bus services (in English)
  YTV Route Planner (takes account of strike)

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