As of the 3rd of May, no progress was made in the conciliation of the dispute concerning the pay and terms of employment of salaried paper industry employees. Trade union Pro announced yet another unlawful industrial action, which will affect salaried UPM employees from Wednesday to Saturday morning. This is no less than the sixth unlawful industrial action in the collective bargaining dispute with salaried paper industry employees.
"Pro is demonstrating unprecedented disregard for Finland’s collective bargaining system and continues to steer the situation from crisis to crisis," says Jari Forss, Deputy Director General of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.
"Constant industrial actions erode possibilities for retaining salaried positions for Finnish employees. The prolongation of the dispute with salaried paper industry employees will inevitably lead to a re-evaluation of which countries provide the most suitable environment for support functions", Jari Forss points out.
Employers are entitled to arrange work in an appropriate manner during an industrial action. The content of Finnish legislation is unambiguous: work does not go on strike.
Pro organised several unlawful industrial actions during April and it is threatening to continue its lawless conduct. Over Easter, Pro announced that it was moving forward the Stora Enso and Metsäliitto strike by one day and it urged Stora Enso’s and Efora’s Oulu-based salaried employees as well as salaried employees working at Stora Enso’s Kotka and Anjala service centres to commence an unlawful industrial action. Pro was also in violation of labour law at the early stages of the collective bargaining dispute when it declared an overtime ban during the collective agreement’s period of validity
