Efforts to bring an end to the bus and truck drivers’ industrial action will continue today, Wednesday, as representatives of the negotiating parties, the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union (AKT) and the Employers’ Confederation of Road Transport (ALT), meet in the office of the National Conciliator Juhani Salonius for a noontime discussion.
The two sides did not convene on Tuesday. Instead, the AKT president Timo Räty used the day to consult with the various divisions of his union.
The employers’ side will respond today to the mediation proposal put forward by Salonius on Sunday. The confederation’s governing body will decide on their response in this morning’s meeting.
The AKT government rejected Salonius's mediation proposal out of hand late on Sunday evening. The paper had been put forward with a view to postponing the strike, which began already at 18:00 on Sunday evening, and offering a kind of cooling-off period.
The strike has seriously hampered commuter travel into Helsinki and in the Greater Helsinki area, and is expected to hit freight shipments if it lasts any length of time.
