Trade Union JHL continues to support the Industrial Union: the fourth handling blockade is going to start on 17 February

Trade Union JHL continues to support the collective agreement negotiations of industrial employees and will start a new handling blockade to boost their collective bargaining.

The stuck negotiations will start to make progress quickly when the right pay offer is put on the table, underlines Håkan Ekström, the President of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL.

– The inflation has been galloping so fast in the recent years that pay development has fallen far behind. Moreover, the Finnish Government’s ruthless cutback policy has hit many working people. This situation calls for pay rises that truly mend employees’ purchasing power, Ekström stresses.

A handling blockade is lawful industrial action. The blockade concerns agreement sectors for which the Industrial Union has issued a strike warning. A detailed list of the targets of this handling blockade is at the end of this text.

JHL’s industrial action will start on Monday 17 February 2025 and end on Friday 21 February 2025, unless a result is reached in the negotiations before that.

This handling blockade is already the fourth in JHL’s series of solidarity action for industrial employees. The first handling blockade started in late January, and since then, blockades have been organised every week.

This industrial action will affect cargo handling for example in ports and rail transport. Employees will not load or unload the products of companies that are subject to the industrial action. Transport sector employees may refuse to transport the goods of these companies.

In addition to Trade Union JHL, support measures have also been organised by the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT, the Finnish Seafarers’ Union, Service Union United PAM, the Finnish Construction Trade Union, and the Finnish Electrical Workers´ Union.

More information:

Håkan Ekström, President of JHL, 040 828 2865

Targets of the handling blockade on Mon 17 Feb - Fri 21 Feb

The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL has decided to start a handling blockade on Monday 17 February 2025. The employees who participate in the handling blockade will decline to handle the goods or cargo of the following enterprises or operators:

Handling blockade in VR Transpoint’s and North Rail Ltd’s sphere of operations

The employees who participate in the handling blockade will decline to handle the goods or cargo of the following enterprises or operators:

• Boliden Harjavalta Oy
• Boliden Kokkola Oy
• Meyer Turku Oy
• Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta Oy
• Outokumpu Stainless Oy
• Ponsse Oyj
• SSAB Europe Oy
• STR Tecoil Oy
• Terrafame Oy
• Valtra Oy Ab.
  
  

Handling blockade in ports

The handling blockade concerns the goods and cargo of these companies in all ports, port companies and port service companies in Finland:

• Best-Hall Oy
• Metso Finland Oy
• Ponsse Oyj
• Wärtsilä Finland Oy.