Finland 071022

TU News

22.10.

Strike in the technology industry began:

Talks went down due to disagreement over pay

The limited strike of the technology industry salaried employees began on Monday 22 October at 11 a.m. About 3,000 salaried employees of Aker Yards, Boliden, Luvata, Outokumpu, Ovako, Rautaruukki and Wärtsilä participate in the strike. The industrial action covers 34 work places.

The union of Salaried Employees TU issued on Wednesday 17 October another strike notice in the technology industry. The strike will expand on Wednesday 31 October to 20 other companies, including Nokia, ABB, Nokia Siemens Networks and Metso, if the parties fail to reach an agreement before it. The enlargement would cover 40 work places. About 4,000 salaried employees would join the industrial action.

The arbitration between TU and the Finnish Technology Industries was terminated on Sunday at 10 p.m. Then the National Conciliator Juhani Salonius concluded that it was not possible to make a settlement proposal.

According to Antti Rinne, the President of TU, the arbitration failed because of disagreement over the pay rises due to be paid to all salaried employees covered by the agreement.

“We demanded 8.5 per cent but the employer offered only 5.9 per cent.”

The disagreement concerns also the form of the pay rises. TU wants a mixture of pay rises in euros (for low salary employees) and in percentages (for the better paid). The employer offers all pay rises according to the percentage line.

“The mixed line increases equality in pay”, Rinne says. In relative terms, there are in the low pay categories more women than men, he remarks.

“Based on the inquiry made among the rank and file, TU is committed to just pay policy. With their percentage line the technology industry employers oppose equal development of salaries and promote enlargement of the pay gap.”

For more information visit the English version of the TU website

http://www.toimihenkilounioni.fi/web/easypagepro/index.php?id=3