Individual unions decide on support measures for paper workers

Metalworkers’ Union decides against any solidarity action

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The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) will not initiate industrial action of its own to back the Paperworkers’ Union in its labour dispute with the Finnish forest industry. The Executive Board of the SAK decided on Monday that each individual affiliated union can decide independently on possible support measures.
      The SAK nevertheless insists that it still backs the paper workers' aim of reaching a settlement that follows the lines of the autumn’s incomes agreement.
      The wood, construction, electrical, and chemical unions plan to begin solidarity strikes at wood industry companies.
      During the weekend, the Paperworkers’ Union rejected a mediation proposal put forward by National Conciliator Juhani Salonius. Settlement talks are set to continue under his direction on Monday next week.
     
The Construction Trade Union is starting a support strike at all production facilities of the forest industry. The strike is set to last as long as the current employer lockout is in force.
      The Wood and Allied Workers' Union is beginning its stoppage on Thursday morning in its chipboard, plywood, and Kerto-wood units. The Electrical Workers’ Union has scheduled a five-day solidarity strike in maintenance and investment work as of Friday.
      On Saturday morning, members of the Chemical Workers’ Union will stop installation work in Tampere, as well as gas work maintenance at paper factories around the world.
     
The largest SAK-affiliated industrial union, the Metalworkers’ Union, said on Monday that it would not initiate "any sympathy action at this stage".
      A number of other industrial unions also opted out of any outside support action for the paper workers.
      The Metalworkers’ Union expressed surprise on Monday over why the National Conciliator’s proposal was not good enough for the paper workers.
      Jouko Ahonen, Chairman of the Paperworkers’ Union, said that the mediation proposal "does not have the kinds of keys to a settlement that would not clearly lead to the weakening of the position of the workers".
      Arto Tähtinen of the Forest Industries Federation says that some confusion has been caused by the lack of details in union demands on compensation for the end of Midsummer and Christmas production stoppages.
      The union says that it has not put a price on the extra holiday work, because the management side has indicated that its proposals would not be accepted anyway.
      "If I can’t sell you a horse, there’s no point in me putting a price on it", Ahonen says, metaphorically.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Paper workers reject mediation proposal as "completely inadequate" (6.6.2005)
  Paper industry labour contract dispute to be determined on Sunday (2.6.2002)

Helsingin Sanomat