Union complains of abusive behaviour of Tallink managers during cruise

Swedish trade union to file criminal complaint, Estonian union not surprised

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Sweden’s Union for Service and Communication Employees (SEKO) says that it will submit a complaint to police over the drunken behaviour of top managers of the Estonian shipping line Tallink during a cruise between Finland and Sweden.
      According to SEKO chairman Janne Rudén, members of the board of Tallink scuffled with crew on the Silja Symphony about two weeks ago, and threatened some of the crew with losing their jobs. Tallink recently bought Silja Line.
      According to reports, the CEO of Tallink called the waitresses "servants who must obey", after they refused to serve more alcohol after the bar had closed.
      Keijo Mehtonen, managing director of Tallink Finland, denied the reports in an interview on Swedish television.
     
News of the bad behaviour of the Tallink managers did not come as a surprise to Kaia Vask, the chair of the Estonian Seamen’s independent Union (EMSA). Vask says that the Tallink managers have behaved abusively toward crew on other ships with Estonian crews.
      "The behaviour has been so disgusting that I do not want to comment", Vask says, adding that there have been several such incidents.
      Tallink’s Estonian head shop steward Mati Elmers says that the previous incidents have not been written down, but that employees have said that inappropriate behaviour by the company’s management has been frequent.
      The Finnish Seamen’s Union is not likely to take issue with the incidents, said the union’s secretary Pekka Teräväinen on Wednesday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Tallink replaces Finnish crew with low-paid Estonians (16.5.2006)
  Tallink ships still discharging sewage into Baltic Sea (14.11.2005)
  Tallink buys Silja Line for EUR 450 million and stock (12.6.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat