Swedish trade unions in sympathy actions for the Finnish paper conflict

A number of Swedish blue-collar trade unions are involved in sympathy actions to support the striking paper workers in Finland. 2 and 3 June the latest Swedish actions started and will go on for as long as the Finnish conflict lasts.

Strikes and lockouts in the Finnish paper industry began 15 May 2005. The employer in the paper industry demanded among other things to change the collective agreement and abolish the factory stoppages during Christmas and Midsummer, which is a holiday in the Nordic countries. The Finnish paper workers’ trade union claimed an essentially shorter working time in exchange. However the employer would rather give an economic compensation plus a minor working time cut. The social partners also disagree concerning proposed possibilities for the employer to hire workers from abroad. (FI0505201N, FI0504202N)

Some of the Swedish trade unions related to the paper industry, are currently effectuating divers conflict actions for the support of the Finnish trade union. The Swedish Paper Workers’ Union (Svenska Pappersarbetareförbundet, Pappers), close in interests to the Finnish Paper Workers’ Union (Paaperiliito) started sympathy actions in April 2005. From then and until the Finnish conflict is over Swedish paper workers are not touching any production, goods etc being moved over from Finnish sawmills and paper-works to Sweden. Then, 16 to 18 May 2005, the Swedish Pappers blockaded all over-time work at the Stora Enso industrial estates, located in Sweden. 25 May 2005 Pappers extended the sympathy actions for an overtime blockade at 16 Finnish owned companies within the Stora Enso, Metsi-Tissue, M-real and the Ahlström concerns. 6,300 Swedish paper workers are involved in the blockade, which is open-ended from 2 June.

Pappers also called for sympathy actions from other Swedish trade unions. In the beginning of June 2005 the Swedish Building Workers’ Union (Svenska Byggnadsarbetareförbundet, Byggnads) started a blockade of over-time work, supporting Pappers in refusing to do work that should have been done by Pappers’ members. The same pattern was followed by the Swedish Electricians’ Union (Svenska Elektrikerförbundet), the Swedish Metal Workers’ Union (Svenska Metallarbetareförbundet, Metall) and (Skogs och Träfacket), the trade union for workers in forestry. The mentioned sympathy actions started 2 and 3 June 2005.

The Swedish right of sympathy actions, allowing actions when the primary conflict is legal - i.e. the Swedish Paper Workers’ over-time blockade - is quite extensive. Also trade unions that are in fact not related to the primary conflict may start sympathy actions. The Co-Determination in the Workplace Act (Medbestämmandelagen) contains rules about the conditions of lawful secondary action (SE0302102F).

The Swedish employers are discontent, on the whole and specifically now in the Finnish conflict, with the sympathy actions allowed in Sweden, and constantly claim that the law should be changed. It is not right for instance, that a conflict in another country might lead to production losses in Sweden, they mean.

The conflict in the Finnish paper industry that started in May 2005 has not yet seen an opening. 1 June 2005 the social partners in the conflict received a mediation bid that was to be answered at the latest Sunday 5 June 2005. The bid was accepted by the Finnish employer, and rejected by the trade union.

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