A restricted strike is ongoing
Chief shop steward Timo Tiikkaja was photographed Tuesday in Lahtis. Photo: Lauri Rotko
PAM and four other unions have launched a 24-hour restricted strike.
Typical PAM workplaces where strike measures are applied are staff canteens in industrial establishments. The chief shop steward Timo Tiikkaja at Fazer Food Service has followed strike preparations in four canteens in Eastern and Southern Finland. He has advised employees on the phone as to how to go on strike and apply for strike assistance.
”Now that PAM has ordered all our agreement sectors to be covered by strike in certain workplaces it means that both kitchen workers and supervisors go on strike”, Tiikkaja says.
He emphasizes that the strike is directed towards the Finnish Government, not the employers such as Fazer. The reason for strike is to defend the maintenance of small businesses’ employees’ dismissal protection at the present level. Fazer is a big company but its employees on strike are defending the employment relationship protection of the employees of small businesses.
”This shows our Government that the wage-earners have mutual solidarity”, Tiikkaja adds.
Tiikkaja feels that the 24-hour strike will help get rid of the other working life worsenings made by the present Government as well.
“It’s enough with humiliating employees, weakening of working conditions and punishing the unemployed. Really.”
The strike continues until midnight
In addition to staff canteens, PAM strike sectors include cleaning and facility management and guarding services in selected industrial establishments where other workers have gone on strike as well. PAM Organisation Manager Heidi Lehikoinen estimates that extending the strike to guarding services increased the number of service sector workers on strike to more than 2,000. She also sees the meaning of this strike more important than just fighting the proposed amendments to dismissal law.
”It´s about principles; how much the employees’ basic protection can be weakened during this Government term. And about whether you can put people in unequal position depending on the size of their employer”, Lehikoinen says.
Also Industrial Union, Finnish Food Workers’ Union SEL, Finnish Electrical Workers’ Union and Pro, the union for private sector experts and managerial staff, have joined this political strike.
The strike started at 00:00 on Wednesday and will finish after 24 hours at midnight. Read more here.