PAM warns of strike at Securitas

Helsinki (18.02.2011 - Juhani Artto) The Service Union United PAM has declared a three-day strike, to begin on Wednesday 2 March, at the security company Securitas. The strike is in protest against the company's deliberate action, which the union claims is designed to complicate collective bargaining negotiations which are underway in the security industry. The previous collective agreement for the industry expired on 31 January 2011.

"The company has interrogated and put pressure on employees and shop stewards who have participated in industrial action. Securitas has also sent its employees a message where it urges them to leave PAM and to search for an alternative to it", explains Ann Selin, the President of PAM.

PAM regards this as a brutal attack on employees' right to organize and freely choose their union. According to PAM other security companies have not behaved in the same manner as Securitas and do not have any plans to do so.

To speed up the collective bargaining PAM has declared an overtime ban for the entire security industry. The ban became effective on Wednesday 16 February. The major disagreement in the negotiations has concerned issues related to how the pay system should be reformed.