Food Industry Talks Resume Amid Six-Day Strike
Image: YLE
The board of the SEL union, which represents workers in the food industry, has rejected the latest contract proposal. As a result, a new strike began at around 80 facilities at midnight Tuesday. Meanwhile, talks to break the deadlock resumed Wednesday.
The union says the latest proposal did not contain enough improvements over previous deals, especially on the issue of working hours.
The employer's side says it is surprised, since it considers the proposal to have solved this point.
The key sticking point is whether the issue of flexible working hours can be resolved at a local level. Employers say they need flexibility to extend working hours during peak seasons. The proposal suggested allowing this to be resolved on a site-by-site basis.
But the union fears that pushing this issue down to the local level will erode employees' negotiating leverage, and could create unequal working conditions. SEL's board voted decisively against the proposed contract, 25-5.
SEL is also threatening to launch an open-ended strike beginning May 11 if no deal is reached.
Shop Shelves Affected
Dairy company Valio struck a last-minute pay deal with its employees, thus averting a strike on thier premises. Ingman also says it is making good progress, which means that the availability of dairy products should not be affected.
The strike is mainly expected to cause a shortage of some meat products. Retail chain S-Group says that bread and bakery goods should be widely available during the strike, as bakeries have promised to deliver limited supplies during the beginning of the strike.
Vegetable and fruit availability should not be affected.
YLE