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Trade Union News from Finland

Helsinki (25.03.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Collective bargaining at UPM paper mills have not yet yielded any results. The forestry giant UPM still stubbornly demands that an extra 70 - 100 annual working hours be done by its employees without any additional pay.
The UPM strike, which began on 1 January, will continue till at least 16 April, if there is not an agreement before then.
The situation is extremely expensive for UPM. According to analysts, the company is suffering a loss in profits of 2 - 3 million euro a day. But as their goal is ideological, the cost seems not to mean anything.

Helsinki (08.03.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) The shortage of printing paper becomes more critical due to the strike at the UPM Finnish paper mills. The printing industry around the world has been highlighting their urgent need for paper, which UPM is unable to deliver.

UPM claims that the strike is a force majeure, a situation over which UPM has no control. According to the forestry giant, they are not breaking their contracts when not delivering paper. Some paper buyers are not accepting this argument automatically.

The Paper Workers’ Union and the Trade Union Pro issued in February an open letter stressing that there is no force majeure. The unions say that it is fully up to UPM to end the strike any day they wish.

Helsinki (25.02.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Negotiations with regard to local government social and health care collective agreements have not yet yielded any results. The pay rise demands of the unions and what employers are prepared to offer are markedly at odds this time round.

The two collective agreements in this sector expire at the end of February. The employees concerned are represented by Tehy - The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland and Super - the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses.

Tehy and Super have a clear goal, called the rescue programme of social and health care. The unions stress that there is an urgent need for more professionals in the branch.

Helsinki (15.02.2022 - Heikki Jokinen) Intergraf, the European printing industry association, representing employers in this sector has sent a letter to UPM CEO Jussi Pesonen calling for an end to the strike at UPM paper mills.

The Brussels-based industry association says that while during the past two years graphic products have clearly witnessed a decline, demand is now almost back to pre-pandemic levels.

According to Intergraf, during the Covid pandemic many customers were forced to reduce print advertising and switch to electronic means in their communications. Now, customers are turning back to print, but the price of paper is going up and supply is uncertain right now.

  1. UPM finally to sit down at the negotiation table, perhaps
  2. New collective agreement for the commerce sector gives similar pay rise as the other pay deals this year
  3. UPM’s refusal to engage in collective bargaining means losses in profit of up to 20 million euro a week
  4. Employment rate clearly up in one year
  5. Ideology takes upper hand in UMP labour market policy
  6. New collective agreements for salaried employees in the technology industry
  7. First pay deals for the technology industry are born
  8. UPM promise to pay extra to strikebreakers
  9. Antti Palola continues as STTK President
  10. Paper workers in Uruguay are worried about UPM actions in Finland