Employers likely to continue paper lockout as mediation efforts go on

Forest Industries Federation claims Finnish paper workers already enjoy lowest annual working-hour total

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Timo Poranen, the President of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, warned on Monday that if no agreement is reached in the labour dispute, the management side would extend the present lockout by two weeks - until the end of June.
      "For legal reasons, we are forced to announce the lockout in the course of Tuesday, and such a decision will be made, if no progress is made in the talks."
     
A potential mediation proposal would come as a surprise, as the talks on cuts in annual working time were reportedly just as deadlocked yesterday as they had been hitherto.
      National conciliator Juhani Salonius could not tell if there was enough common ground for him to propose a settlement, even during this week.
      "It all depends on the negotiations which will continue on Tuesday", said Salonius.
      On Monday morning, Lauri Ihalainen, the President of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), met the leaders of SAK-affiliated unions in industry and transport to discuss the situation and potential solidarity action.
     
The Metalworkers' Union and the Construction Workers' Union are to make their decisions on solidarity action on Thursday. The Chemical Workers' Union will decide on its own course of action at the end of the current week. The support actions of these affiliate members of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) are to be aimed specifically at paper mills.
      The Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees (ERTO), which is an affiliate member of the The Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK), is to announce its own support measures today, if the Forest Industies Federation extends the lockout.
      Timo Poranen of the Forest Industries Federation said that the employers cannot offer a longer cut in annual working time than the promised 11 hours, because the Finnish paper mills already have the shortest annual working time in Europe.
      "The actual working time in Finland was 1,488 hours in 2003, whereas for example in Germany it was as high as 1,674 hours. This is a significant difference", Poranen argued.
     
Paperworkers' Union Chairman Jouko Ahonen disagrees: "According to the collective labour contract, our working hours are not shorter than elsewhere. However, we have a lot of sick leaves and other leaves of absence which affect these statistics."
      However, in its calculations, the Forest Industries Federation had already deducted the leaves of absence from the paperworkers' annual working hours of 1,619.
      Based on Ahonen's statistics, only Germany and Great Britain have labour contracts that contain more working hours than the Finnish paperworkers have. Germany is the largest paper producer in Europe.
     
Timo Poranen expressed criticism of the Paperworkers' Union as it wants a "significant cut in working time" but has not specified its exact demands at the negotiating table.
      The Finnish Forest Industries Federation is still offering a monetary compensation of EUR 1,600, as well as an 11-hour cut in working hours, for those who might end up working at Christmas and Midsummer.
      Ahonen has already earlier stated that this offer is the starting point for negotiations, as under current practice, those workers who work at Christmas and Midsummer - including security guards and power plant workers - are already entitled to an 11-hour cut in their working hours.
      "If the mills are to be kept running through Christmas and Midsummer, we want a bigger slice of the growth in productivity. As a compensation for giving up the holiday shutdowns, we want a longer cut in annual working time. If the employer is willing to move forward on this issue, it is possible to reach an agreement in the dispute still in this week. "
      Ahonen believed that it would then be possible to agree even on the other sticking points that remain unresolved.
      Mediation talks are continuing today - on Tuesday - in this major labour dispute that has shut down Finland's paper mills.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mediation efforts continue in paper dispute (30.5.2005)

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