Local strikes by stevedores stopped work in Finland’s largest seaports on Thursday, and the stoppages were expected to continue over the weekend. The harbour workers said that the reason for the spot strikes was that outside labour had been used to load a ship in the Port of Helsinki.
According to the management side, the disputed work was done by members of the Transport Workers’ Union (AKT) who had agreed to working overtime. The union has had a ban on overtime work since the beginning of this month.
The workers said that they also wanted to expedite contract talks. AKT emphasised that Thursday’s spot strikes were organised locally, and not by the national union.
AKT has given an official strike warning: originally a national strike by stevedores was to have begun today, Friday, but the Ministry of Labour ordered a two-week postponement.
Representatives of AKT and the employers convened on Thursday for negotiations chaired by National Conciliator Juhani Salonius. The spot strikes were seen to add to the tension in the talks; there was no progress in the talks on Thursday, and the next meeting is expected on Monday.
The management side sees the spot strikes as illegal blackmail. The Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK) called on the government to re-examine rules concerning industrial action.
The key issues in the labour contract talks involve questions of the use temporary workers, and working hours.
AKT has demanded that some of the stevedores working on a temporary basis should be given permanent positions. The management side has said that it could agree to the demand to some extent, provided that the union agrees to more flexible working hour arrangements.
