Finnish Forest Industries Federation set to continue lockout

Strike ends today at plants producing cartons for dairy products

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The Finnish Forest Industries Federation's decision on Tuesday to continue its paper industry lockout by a further fortnight did not come as a surprise. Today, Wednesday, marks the beginning of the second two-week lockout, which will last until June 15th.
      If the negotiating parties have not agreed on the collective labour contract terms by then, a third lockout until June 29th will follow.
      A notice of continuing the lockout was received at the Paperworkers' Union's office yesterday at noon.
     
Though the announcement of the continuation of the lockout was to be expected, Paperworkers' Union Chairman Jouko Ahonen was still taken by surprise by the fact that it was made already at lunchtime in the middle of a "good negotiation" as supposed to at the end of the day.
      "This makes me wonder if the employers' side has any real intentions to reach an agreement at this stage", he said.
      Timo Poranen, the President of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, argued that the announcement was made as requested by law, two weeks in advance.
      The national conciliator was also made aware of the continuation of the lockout.
     
According to Ahonen, the new lockout will not affect the ongoing arbitration process.
      "This week's aim for the opposing sides is to converge each other's views to the point that it would be possible for the national conciliator Juhani Salonius to present a proposal for a settlement. I cannot say if we are quite there yet", Ahonen commented.
     
The Federation of Special Service and Clerical Employees (ERTO), which is an affiliate member of the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK), has advised officials in the forwarding field not to process exporting and importing documents of member companies of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.
      The processing ban will start this weekend and will be in force until further notice.
      The Metalworkers' Union and the Construction Workers' Union, affiliate members of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), are to make their decisions on solidarity action on Thursday.
      Ahonen has expressed a wish that such support actions be targeted at forest industry corporations alone.
     
The Paperworkers' Union has decided to call off the strike at factories manufacturing cartons for food supplies. The decision, which affected a couple of hundred workers, ended the strike this morning for two weeks.
      As a countermeasure to the lockout, the Paperworkers' Union has declared a strike in fields that were not affected by the employer side's action. The Forest Industries Federation has demanded the Union to allow the trainees and summer jobbers in such companies to resume work.
      "For some students, such trainee positions are a requirement for advancing in their studies", Poranen said.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Employers likely to continue paper lockout as mediation efforts go on (31.5.2005)
  Mediation efforts continue in paper dispute (30.5.2005)

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