Finnish dockworkers’ strike grinds trade to a halt

Finnish dockworkers walked off the job on Wednesday after collective bargaining negotiations with employers failed, threatening to stop nearly all of Finland’s foreign trade.

“The strike will continue until an agreement is reached,” Juha Anttila, responsible for the stevedoring industry at the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT, told AFP.

Over 95 percent of Finland’s dockworkers belong to the union, according to AKT.

The Finnish Port Operators Association, representing the employers, said it expected “major damages” due to the strike.

“The strike will halt operations in all Finnish ports, which carry 90 percent of Finland’s foreign trade, or 280 million euros ($300 million) a day,” the association said in a statement.

Pushing for wage increases to keep up with inflation, AKT was engaged in negotiations with employers until Tuesday evening when the talks broke down.

“The proposals had to be rejected as totally inadequate,” AKT said.

Inflation stood at 9.1 percent in December 2022.

AKT also announced concurrent strikes in the lorry and oil product sectors that will be in force until February 21.

The strikes affect around 9,000 workers in total, and were slammed by trade associations.

“When a major disruption such as these strikes occurs, the loss of confidence, orders and customer loyalty cannot be made up for a long time.”