Employers break off incomes policy talks

On Wednesday 17 November the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), which represents employers in Finland, suspended negotiations for a comprehensive incomes policy settlement, due to the continuing strike affecting certain bus services in the country. EK has announced that it will continue negotiating only after the strike has ended.

Bus drivers employed by the international Concordia and Connex transport companies began a strike in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area on Tuesday of last week. According to the Finnish Transport Workers' Union &#;8211 AKT, these enterprises have infringed the industry collective agreement by employing part-time workers instead of full-time workers. Bus drivers in several provincial towns, some dockworkers in Helsinki and some tanker drivers have subsequently begun sympathetic strike action of their own.

Although AKT is willing to begin talks with the transport sector employers' federation in order to settle the dispute, the employers have been unwilling to come to the negotiating table. SAK President Lauri Ihalainen has also made several proposals to resolve the problem, but none of these have been acceptable to the employers.

The interruption of national incomes policy negotiations brings a serious delay to an already tight bargaining schedule. The parties had previously announced their resolve to work towards a final settlement by the coming weekend of 20 – 21 November.

See report of 12 November 2004 for more information about the incomes policy negotiations in Finland.