21 October, 201130,000 Finnish metalworkers began a strike in the metal industry the morning of October 21, after negotiations on a new national collective agreement broke down.
FINLAND: A last minute proposal put forward by the National Conciliator on a new 2-year national collective agreement for more than 200,000 employees in the Finnish metal industries was rejected by both the unions and the employers' organisations on the eve of the strike. The unions involved in the dispute are IMF affiliates the Metalworkers' Union, the salaried employees' union Pro, and the Electrical Workers' Union.
On October 4, the unions had given strike notice concerning 30,000 employees in 44 export-oriented companies and declared an overtime ban in the entire metal industry.
The main disagreements concern the pay structure and paid training leave. According to President Riku Aalto, the Metalworkers' Union wants pay rises to be general, while employers insist on local level negotiations. Pro's President Antti Rinne said that the proposal did not guarantee equal minimum pay rises to all and that too much was left at the employers' discretion.
The strike will last until November 7 unless the parties can reach an agreement before that date. Senior salaried employees' organization YTN have announced that they will join the strike on November 1.
The Finnish social democratic labour minister Lauri Ihalainen appealed in morning television to the parties to continue negotiations. The disagreements cast doubt on the fate of the 25-month framework agreement agreed at confederation level, covering also issues such as unemployment benefits, paternity leave and taxation.