The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), Finland’s largest labour union confederation, said on Thursday that the use of strikebreakers at harbours is making it more difficult to mediate in the two-week old strike by stevedores.
The SAK warned that it would consider having its member unions initiate support measures for the striking stevedores if the recruitment of strikebreakers to work at Finnish harbours does not stop.
On Thursday morning there were scuffles at the Mussalo Harbour in Kotka between pickets and a group of volunteers who had come to the harbour to load freight containers onto ships.
The move came after a Facebook group was formed for people willing to work at harbours if the strike continues.
SAK organisational director Matti Tukiainen said that the difficult negotiation situation does not justify the recruitment of unskilled labour to the harbours. He said that such action will only raise tensions and endanger the principles of Finland’s “contract society”.
“I hope that the [Confederation of Finnish Industry] EK and the Finnish Port Operators Association will understand this and take issue with the matter”, Tukiainen said.
He criticised what he sees as an attempt to crush the legal right to strike by appealing to Finnish competitiveness. He also warned that companies using strikebreakers are taking a contemptuous attitude toward harbour safety.
Negotiations in the labour dispute continued on Thursday in spite of the scuffle in Kotka. In addition to the Finnish Transport Workers Union (AKT) and the Port Operators Association, key figures of the central organisations SAK and EK were present at the talks.
The negotiators had little to say about the Kotka incident. AKT President Timo Räty warned against exaggerating the significance of local protests. He emphasised that continuing the talks and resolving the dispute as soon as possible is the top priority.
