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28 July, 2005
Paperiliitto in Finland rejected a second federal mediator’s proposal last week that again falls far short of preserving the continuity of family-sustaining papermaking jobs.
The paper employers’ association last week extended a lockout on 25,000 workers that began 18 May to a seventh week, or until 15 July. The mediator’s proposal, if it had been accepted, would have given paper companies the unlimited right to outsource work, thus transferring all maintenance, security and cleaning work to non-regular employees. The proposal again rejects Paperiliitto’s compromise on for continuous operation of paper mills. In paper converting, companies could schedule 12-hour work-shifts without overtime compensation.
Global support among workers remains strong for Paperiliitto, with French affiliate FILPAC-CGT issuing a powerful statement of solidarity. In North America, union members of seven unions—including ICEM affiliates USW in US and CEP in Canada—demonstrated in support of the Finnish union at mills of Stora Enso and UPM Kymmene, two leading Finnish companies behind the employers’ association. In the UK, Amicus also voiced strong support at UK paper mills on behalf of Paperiliitto.
And EMCEF’s presidium, meeting in Greece 14 June, issued a communiqué fully supportive of Finnish workers in its “fight to fend off the harsh concessionary demands put forward by the Finnish Forest Industries. The demands are totally unacceptable and the EMCEF presidium is shocked by the behaviour of the Finnish employers in this conflict.”