Helsinki (10.02.2007 / edited 12.02.2007 - Juhani Artto) The Electrical workers’ union has succeeded in compelling the Polish company MSB to pay wages in Finland in line with Finnish collective agreements. This is good news for the 88 Polish electricians who worked at the construction site of the huge shopping complex, Ideapark, near Tampere. The centre was opened in December 2006.
The parties have agreed not to publicly disclose the total amount owed in arrears. However, in its press release, the Finnish union describes the arrears as ’large’. In Finland, an electrician usually earns about EUR14 per hour. This is almost three times more than the EUR5 per hour the Polish electricians were originally paid, as the current affairs programme Ajankohtainen kakkonen, in November 2006, claimed when exposing this serious dumping case.
The Electrical workers’ union and the company MSB have also agreed upon the procedure how the arrears are delivered to the electricians and how the social security contributions and taxes are delivered to the Polish authorities. The procedure has been jointly defined to safeguard the correctness of the delivery.
The Electrical workers’ union is expected, in April 2007, to give its final approval to MSB’s way to implement the mutual agreement. But first the union will remove its blockade of the company MSB.
”This case is a strong message to companies that employ foreign labour”, says Keijo Rimmistö, who works at the union’s bargaining unit.
”Respect voluntarily the Finnish collective agreements, as, in case you don’t do that, our union will compel you to pay the arrear payments.”
”Letting things go to that point, you not only risk your reputation but also risk to wake up the interest of police”, Rimmistö warns.