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The Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU’s board has decided to take collective action to combat Posti’s collective labor agreement shopping and the deteriorating of wages and conditions of employment. The strike will begin in the mail delivery, handling and transportation jobs on Monday, November 11, 2019 at 6:00 am and will end on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 00.00. The strike does not prevent work related to the health and safety of citizens. In this bulletin, we answer the most common questions.
The employer has initiated various countermeasures to break the strike. Successful countermeasures will weaken the position of workers. Any countermeasures by the employer must be strictly rejected and reported immediately to the strike committee and to the union office!
1. Why are we on strike?
The strike is meant to speed up the collective labor agreement negotiations. The strike is a countermeasure to Service Sector Employers Palta’s and Posti’s proposal to replace, in its entirety, the provisions of the existing collective labor agreement with the provisions of the collective labor agreement for distribution negotiated by Finnmedia and Industrial union. Posti insists that almost every page of the current collective labor agreement should be torn and replaced by the provisions of the cheaper collective labor agreement. In practice, this would mean for example 30% - 50% earnings reductions and numerous other reductions in the conditions of employment.
For parcel sorters and office employees of the parcel business unit (PeC), the employer wants cheaper working conditions through business transfer. As regards the office employees, the terms and conditions of employment are transferred to the collective agreement between Finnmedia and Grafinet. PAU announced in September that there would be no labor peace in the postal sector until the parcel sorters and office employees are transferred back to the collective labor agreement for Communications and logistics sector.
2. Who and which jobs are on strike?
The strike covers all employees who work in mail delivery, handling and transportation jobs.
In practice the following are on strike:
- workers in mail delivery and handling (including group advisors) under the salary appendix P of the collective labor agreement for Communications and logistics sector
- in transportation the drivers of Posti Kuljetus Oy, who are members of PAU (they are not bound by labor peace)
- parcel sorters/postal workers, group advisors and freight forwarders (PeC) in Posti Palvelut Oy, who are members of PAU (they are not bound by labor peace, contrary to what the employer claims). Temporary workers are also on strike.
PAU’s board has made an organizational decision to put jobs on strike. Nobody should do any work under strike.
3. Does the strike affect temporary agency workers?
Yes, it does. The employer is trying to use temporary agency workers to break the strike. International practice and treaties consider the use of outside labor to break the strike to be a violation of freedom of association. (See paragraphs 918 and 919 of the ILO Compilation of decisions of the Committee on Freedom of Association)
4. Where can I get reliable information on the strike?
Employer countermeasures include distributing false or misleading information about industrial actions to employees. If the strike cannot be discussed appropriately at the workplace, union members can just state that industrial actions are union decisions. Union members are obliged to comply with the decisions.
It is common for an employer to claim that an employee has no right to strike, because in this way the employer can succeed in misleading employees and breaking strikes.
The only reliable source of information during the strike is PAU and the strike organization.
5. The employer claims that the strike is illegal in Posti Palvelut Oy and that employees shold not take part in it. This is not true!
PAU’s board has made an organizational decision to put jobs on strike. Nobody should do any work under strike. The strike is legal. If the employer claims otherwise, the lawfulness of the strike will be decided by the court, and the union, not an individual employee, will be held responsible. Parcel sorters/postal workers, group adviser and freight forwarders (PeC) who are members of PAU are not bound by labor peace. Labor peace only applies to early mail delivery, which PAU has not put on strike. The employer's claims that labor peace would bind parcel sorters are false.
6. To whom is the strike allowance paid?
Strike allowance is paid to PAU members who work in the jobs put on strike and who are involved in the strike. In addition, a strike allowance of the same amount is paid to members of Paperiliitto, Rakennusliitto (the Finnish Construction Trade Union), Sähköliitto (the Finnish Electrical Workers´ Union), Suomen elintarvikeliitto SEL (Finnish Food Workers' Union SEL), JHL (The Trade Union For The Public And Welfare Sectors), PAM (Service Union United) and Teollisuusliitto (Industrial Union). Transport Workers’ Union AKT has also decided on a strike allowance for its members. YTN members should consult their union about the amount of the strike allowance.
7. How do I apply for the strike allowance?
The strike allowance is applied for through a separate strike allowance application, which is submitted to your own local chapter, not to the union office. The local chapters are responsible for receiving the strike allowance applications and for submitting the information to the union office for payments. More information on this will be given later.
8. How much is PAU’s strike allowance?
PAU’s strike allowance for members is 67 € per strike day.
The strike allowance is tax-free up to 16 €. Tax withholding of 30 % will be made on allowances higher than 16 € in accordance with 88 § of the Income Tax Act. Thus, the amount subject to tax is 51 € in this case. The net amount of the strike allowance is 51,70 € per day.
9. If I participate in the strike, can I receive a warning about unauthorized absence from work?
When a trade union or its local chapters decide on a collective action, legal or illegal, they also bear responsibility for it. When the employee acts in accordance with the decision of the trade union, the employer is not allowed to terminate his employment contract. This would be an illegal dismissal. Any warning given is irrelevant to the employment relationship.
10. If I do not participate in the strike, will there be some repercussions for me?
At its general meeting, the local chapter will decide on penalties, which may include removal from the local chapter/union.
11. I work in mail delivery, my employer has offered me to keep flexible time off / annual leave, what do I do?
According to the collective labor agreement, the flexible time off is agreed between the employer and the employee, neither party alone can decide on the date of the time off. Annual leave must be announced one month before the holiday date.
12. Can the employer change the published shift list?
The shift list cannot be changed due to a strike.
13. The media and social media carry all kinds of information and rumors. How do I deal with them?
The employer tries to influence public opinion through social media, magazines, radio and television. It is often argued that industrial action causes harm and injury to clients and false information about the negotiations is deliberately given out. There is also debate on the justification of industrial action in social media. It is worth being particularly careful in these discussions. False information may be disseminated there. So it's worth looking at where the information comes from. Before commenting on texts, think carefully about what you write or share.
More information from your regional chief shop steward!
Follow the situation on the union website www.pau.fi. More information from the union’s office will be given by: Jarmo Tuominen, collective agreement and organisation expert, tel: 040 315 4401, jarmo.tuominen@pau.fi, Juha Pöyry, information officer, tel. 040 356 0567, juha.poyry@pau.fi and Jussi Saariketo, collective agreement expert, tel: 044 268 5110, Jussi.saariketo@pau.fi. You can find information about the collective labor agreement shopping and related campaign at www.tyoehtoshoppailu.fi.