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Oulu Port Paralysed by Strike |
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By News
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
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Oulu’s port will be brought to stand still by a new round of strikes which could cripple the Finnish economy.
Oulu’s Port was brought to a halt on Wednesday morning by a sit-in strike by dockers.
However, the Finnish Transport Worker’s Union also announced on Wednesday that dockers in Oulu and, the rest of the country, will go on strike on the same day later in the month.
The new industrial action follows an end to the day-long strike at Helsinki’s harbour which ended this morning.
Negotiations on the new pay agreements broke down at the weekend.
The action is scheduled for 19 February. Markku Mylly, the Director of the Finnish Port Association, told 65DN that the strike is over pay. The dockers are demanding that, if they are fired, they still continue to be paid for year. ‘This is out of this world and the employers are not going to accept it,’ he said.
Mr Mylly that, ‘At the moment there are a few spots where there are strikes – such as Oulu – but when they spread it will have a huge effect on imports and exports. Ninety percent of Finnish exports are through shipping,’ he added. ‘We are like an island.’
‘There are 3000 dockers and, if they refuse to work, then the economy is brought to hold. This union is, put it this way, a little bit Red,’ he laughed.
Jussi Koivunen, the Secretary of the Finnish Transport Workers Union, told 65DN that his union's demands had been agreed to in 2005 and the companies were renegotiating on this agreement. He also protested that his union was ‘no more left wing than any other union. We have strong links to the Social Democratic Party.’
In response to criticism that the strike would damage the economy, Mr Koivunen was blunt. ‘We are on strike because the companies have gone back on their agreement. They are responsible for this mess, not us.’
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