“We spent the whole day looking for a solution, but unfortunately we couldn’t find it,” he comment. “We have to wait and think about the solution for some time, but we are close. There was clear progress today.”
Sajavaara added that the plan is to continue the negotiations as soon as possible, but refused to speculate on the schedule.
Stevedores began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, October 15. The ACP has rejected two previous proposals for resolving the labor dispute, citing insufficient wage increases and stressing that it will not be satisfied with the wage increases granted to workers in the most important export industries. It has stated that stevedores are targeting pay rises of around 8.5 per cent over the next two years, which is comparable to the increase in wages in Germany.
Employers’ representatives have warned that such wage increases threaten Finland’s competitiveness. For example, the salaries of employees in the technology sector will increase by seven percent in 2023–2024.
There has been considerable pressure from the public for a breakthrough in the negotiations, as the strike has effectively stopped the processing of import and export of goods in ports across Finland.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page