Trade Union JHL to continue the export sector strike by one week

The strike will continue because the Government has not presented any realistic alternatives to the reforms threatening employee rights. The new political strike will end on Sunday 7 April.

JHL and other SAK-affiliated unions will further continue the political strike of the export sectors. The strike started on 11 March, and this was the second time a decision was made to continue it. The new end date for the strike is Sunday 7 April. According to Trade Union JHL President Håkan Ekström, it was necessary to continue striking.

On Wednesday 20 March, SAK President Jarkko Eloranta met with Minister of Employment Arto Satonen (National Coalition Party). However, the Government did not offer alternatives to its reforms that will crumble working life, nor has it arranged new meetings since then.

Approximately a thousand members of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL are involved in the latest strike. JHL’s strikes will affect rail freight transport and the operations of numerous ports around Finland.

A list of all the strike locations is at the end of the press release and attached to it. JHL’s strike locations are the same as during 25–31 March. Work tasks that must be performed in order to protect people’s life, health or property are ruled out of the strike. There is also an unwillingness to endanger Finland’s security of supply with the strikes.  Trade Union JHL will offer financial assistance to other trade unions that have a large number of members on strike.

The political strike targets the working life and social security weakenings planned by the Government of Finland. The Government has already made cuts to housing allowance and unemployment security. Its list of working life weakenings includes limiting the right to strike and undermining the general applicability of collective agreements. The reforms solely benefit employers.

The Government is also pushing for a so-called export model, in which pay raises would be tied to the level of the export sectors. The Government’s message is that it only wants to negotiate on this topic. Negotiating only on the pay model is difficult if, at the same time, the terms and conditions of local agreement and the position of shop stewards, among other things, are weakened in legislation, Ekström reminds.

– In Finland, it must also in the future be possible to agree on the terms and conditions of employment in such a way that employee needs, too, are taken into account. If the Government forces through its reforms, the next round of negotiations can be historically challenging.

More information:

JHL President Håkan Ekström, 040 828 2865

JHL’S STRIKE LOCATIONS 1–7 APRIL 2024

JHL’s strike locations Monday 1 April 2024 12.01 am – Sunday 7 April 2024 11.59 pm

The political industrial action applies to work done in the following workplaces covered by Service Sector Employers Palta’s collective agreement:

• Etelä-Suomen Satamapalvelut Oy
• Helsingin Satama Oy
• Kokkolan Satama Oy
• Kvarkenhamnar Aktiebolag, Filial I Finland/Merenkurkun Satamat Oy (Vaasa)
• Loviisan Satama Oy
• Naantalin Satama Oy
• Oulun Satama Oy
• Porin Satama Oy
• Raahen Satama Oy
• Rauman Satama Oy
• Silverstone Bay Logistics Oy
• Olmar Pori Oy

The political industrial action applies to work done in the following workplaces covered by employers’ association Avaintyönantajat Avainta’s collective agreement:

• Turun Satama Oy
• Uudenkaupungin Satama Oy
• HaminaKotka Satama Oy
• Kemin Satama Oy
• Hangon Satama-Hangö Hamn Oy Ab

Other work tasks and workplaces subject to the political industrial action:

• VR Group: VR Transpoint
• Olmar HaminaKotka Oy (RP Group)

Length of the political industrial action

The political industrial action applies to work shifts that start between 12.01 am on Monday 1 April 2024 and 11.59 pm on Sunday 7 April 2024. Work tasks that must be performed in order to protect people’s life, health or property are ruled out of the industrial action. In addition, work supporting passenger traffic in Katajanokka Terminal, Olympia Terminal and West Terminal in Helsinki, as well as work done in the passenger ports of Turku, Naantali, Vaasa, Mariehamn and Långnäs are ruled out of the industrial action.