Strike Supporting Finnish Postal Workers To Impact Air, Sea, Land Transport - Reports

HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2019) Much of Finland may grind to a halt Monday amid wide-ranging strikes by various unions in solidarity with Finnish postal workers, media reported Sunday.

The 24-hour sympathy strike is set to begin at 3:00 a.m. local time (01:00 GMT) and will include Aviation Workers Union (IAU), Public and Welfare Sector and Transport Workers' Union among others, according to Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

The strikes were announced after representatives of postal and logistical workers and state-owned employer Service Sector Employers (Palta) failed to reach an agreement on new employment terms following a protracted negotiating session on Sunday.

Finnish Post and Logistics Union has been on strike since November 11 in opposition to Palta efforts to transfer them from one legal entity to another, a move which union members say will slash their salaries and limit the union's leverage.

Finnish flag carrier Finnair announced the cancellation of 250 flights in connection with the IAU-member workers going on the sympathy strike, affecting up to 20,000 passengers.

In addition, Finnish Seafarers Union (SMU) announcement of a strike on Monday could see a breakdown in maritime trade and commute between Finland and its neighbors, namely Sweden and Estonia. business organization Confederation of Finnish Industries has estimated that up to a third of Finland's foreign trade could be slashed in connection with the SMU strike, English-language newspaper Helsinki Times reported.

The PAU strike on behalf of 700 parcel-sorting employees is set to last into December and has already resulted in delays of weeks in delivery of mail and parcels, according to YLE.