Paper industry labour contract dispute to be determined on Sunday

National Conciliator Salonius proposes three-year settlement

print this

The fate of the paper industry's collective labour contract squabble will be determined at five PM this Sunday.
      The Paperworkers' Union, a member of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), and the Finnish Forest Industries Federation have been asked to present their responses to the national conciliator Juhani Salonius's proposal for a settlement at that time.
     
"What was particularly tricky was to find solutions to questions relating to the use of outside labour at plants, giving up shut-downs during the Christmas and Midsummer holidays, and shortening working time", stated Salonius, and he admitted that this has been one of the most difficult assignments of his career.
      "The questions have been extremely knotty and tied to principle. I have responded to all issues either by presenting a compromise solution or by leaving them out of the equation at this point", Salonius says.
      Giving up holiday shutdowns is included in Salonius's proposal. Without it the employers' side would not have considered any kind of agreement.
      The document also proposes rules for intensifying the use of outside labour in factories.
      Issues such as unpaid sick leaves and splitting of annual leaves, on the other hand, have been left out of the proposal.
      The employers' side has also made it clear that working hours will not be shortened. However, monetary compensations are likely to be used to make up for the loss of holidays.
     
According to Salonius' proposal, the contract would last until the end of May 2008, in other words, slightly past the common income agreement.
      Head of labour market affairs Arto Tähtinen of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation expressed his satisfaction with the fact that a settlement proposal has now been produced. He is also pleased with the time period the proposed contract covers.
      "This process has taken so long, it is time we found a solution. It is important to guarantee industrial peace in our field for the next three years", Tähtinen emphasises.
     
The Paperworkers' Union President Jouko Ahonen in turn seems less enthusiastic. "I suppose we are moving slightly forward in various respects", he said on Wednesday.
      The Paperworkers' Union's central council and commission will decide on the matter on Sunday.
      The Finnish Forest Industries Federation executive committee will discuss the proposal today, Thursday.
      "Our schedule is geared towards switching on the machines on Sunday evening, should the proposal be accepted by both parties", Tähtinen says. Strikes and a lock-out have stilled the machines at Finnish pulp and paper mills for several weeks.
      The arbitration continued at ten o'clock on Wednesday morning. Just before the proposal for a settlement was delivered, Seppo Riski, director of labour market relations at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), and Lauri Ihalainen, the President of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), had been seen to visit the scene of the negotiations.
     
The white collar workers within the paper industry may also well been seen in the national conciliator's office later on in the summer, suspects chief negotiator Markku Palokangas of the Union of Salaried Employees (TU), an affiliate member of the Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK).
      "If we do not see any progress in our negotiations next week, we too will be forced to issue a strike warning." About 7,000 TU members are employed by the paper industry.
      According to Palokangas, the management side requires a two-day unpaid waiting period for sick leaves and tending a sick child. The employers would also abolish substitute compensations and travel time pays, split annual leaves, and lower extra compensation for shift work.
      Palokangas claims that the employer side is refuseing to negotiate any salary increases until the debasing of labour contract conditions have been agreed on.
      "These conditions apply to all of our agreements. We will not open them to negotiations within the paper industry as this would undoubtedly lead to the same request of worsening of contract conditions in other fields as well", Palokangas ascertains.
      The negotiations will continue on Monday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish Forest Industries Federation set to continue lockout (1.6.2005)
  Employers likely to continue paper lockout as mediation efforts go on (31.5.2005)
  Mediation efforts continue in paper dispute (30.5.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat