Helsinki (07.12.2009 - Juhani Artto) This autumn four employees of the Rautaruukki steel mill in Raahe have committed suicide. They represent only the tip of iceberg when it comes to the indisposition of the personnel, according to shop steward Mika Vuoti and safety representative Alpo Pirneskoski.
"The management has for several years completely ignored the needs of the employees. In the last few years the employer has unilaterally demolished good practises that had been agreed upon together", Vuoti says bluntly.
According to him the amount of sick leave has clearly increased. At the Rautaruukki steel mill this makes up 12 per cent of the regular working hours, when the process industry average in Finland is 5 per cent.
The safety representative Alpo Pirneskoski has asked the occupational safety authorities to come and study working conditions at the mill. It is their task to judge whether the employer has breached the occupational safety law, he says.
Source: Ahjo 21-2009