Strike warning issued by union representing Finnish Frontier Guards

First phase of stoppage would affect all checkpoints on eastern border

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The union representing the members of the Finnish Frontier Guard issued an official strike warning through labour mediator Juhani Salonius on Monday. According to the union, the collective bargaining contract negotiations held with the Frontier Guard Headquarters have so far proved fruitless.
      The first phase of the strike is scheduled to begin on May 31st and last until June 11th, should the dispute remain unresolved.
     
In the first instance the stoppage would affect all the checkpoints on the Russian border, through which about 17,000 people travel every day.
      Ninety-seven percent of the personnel of these frontier crossing points belong to the union representing the Frontier Guard.
      "The strike might lead to a possible closing of the border, or at the very least the level of check-ups would be compromised", notes Reijo Kortelainen, chairman of the union representing the Frontier Guard.
      Furthermore, the strike would cause significant delays to freight traffic as well, Kortelainen says.
      Border security and sea rescue operations, on the other hand, would not be affected by the strike. The first phase of the strike would also exclude passport control at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport.
      The dispute between the union representing the Frontier Guard and the Frontier Guard Headquarters centres on the renewal of the government wage system.
     
According to Kortelainen, the new pay system would have an adverse impact from the point of view of the wage trend for public servants doing their basic duties.
      Commodore Matti Möttönen of the Frontier Guard Headquarters considers the union's demands unclear.
      "The union has not presented its demands as euros or even percentages, only as lists of demands, the cost effects of which have not been calculated. It is therefore impossible to know exactly what kind of raises they are hoping for."
      Möttönen claims that the Frontier Guard members can expect a 6.6% wage increase by the spring of 2008, should they accept the agreed income policy settlement.
      "As other unions have accepted and signed contracts with smaller increases than that, it is difficult to consider the Frontier Guard members' demands equitable", Möttönen argues.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Greater authority proposed for Finnish Frontier Guard (11.2.2005)

Links:
  Finnish Frontier Guard web site

Helsingin Sanomat