Helsinki (20.11.2019 - Heikki Jokinen) There is no solution yet in the postal services strike.
The National Conciliator Vuokko Piekkala put forward, on 18 November, a proposal for an agreement. Surprisingly, it completely failed to address the core issue of the conflict, the fate of the 700 state owned postal service company Posti employees which the employer unilaterally transferred to another company and another collective agreement.
"There was not a word about these employees in the National Conciliator’s proposal", says Heidi Nieminen, President of the Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU.
Turkka Kuusisto, the acting CEO of the Posti said that from their point of view the case is closed. They will not go back on their decision.
Palta, the employer’s association and negotiation party says that the company to where Posti transferred their employees is not their member. Thus, Palta cannot and will not negotiate on behalf of it.
Under such circumstances PAU was forced to say no to the National Conciliator proposal.
Palta is, in a way, a hostage of Posti. This situation leads to a bargaining impasse as both Posti and the employers association refuse for formal reasons to negotiate on the key issue.
There were other things, too, missing from the National Conciliator’s proposal, PAU says. It had, for example, no proposal for a new shop steward organisation, though Posti has announced that it will terminate the existing one at the end of November.
Negotiations for a new collective agreement continue on 20 November.
Read more:
Further solidarity industrial action in sight due to the postal services strike (19.11.2019)