PAM starts 5-day strike in business sector

Service Union United (Palvelualojen ammattiliitto-PAM) is observing a five-day strike at business sector from Monday morning demanding a collective agreement.

The strike will begin at commerce sector logistics on Monday and at Grocery stores on Wednesday, said PAM in a press release on Sunday, adding that the collective agreement negotiations were ended without any fruitful result.

The strike affecting commerce logistics will begin on Monday at 5:00 am and will end on Thursday at 5:00 am.

The strike at grocery stores will begin on Wednesday at 5:00 am and will end on Saturday at 5:00 am.

The strikes will largely halt warehouse and logistics operations in the commerce sector, affecting deliveries to grocery stores and other businesses.

The strikes affecting stores will impact retailers selling groceries, including outlets of S Group, Kesko, and Lidl.

“We understand that the strike may cause challenges in everyday life, but we hope for understanding. This is about the livelihood and fair working conditions of commerce sector employees. We are certainly not striking for fun. Customers can show their support for service sector workers by shopping outside the strike period,” PAM President Annika Rönni-Sällinen said in the press release.

Collective agreement negotiations in the commerce sector began at the start of January. PAM expected wage increases that restore employees’ purchasing power to the level it was a few years ago. Negotiations have also failed to make progress on maintaining dismissal protection at its current level and improving the situation of part-time workers, said PAM.

Following the strike notices, the labour dispute has been mediated under the leadership of the National Conciliator but it failed to bring any result so far.

“We are still too far from reaching a compromise with employers, and the National Conciliator has not put forward a proposal for a solution either,” said Rönni-Sällinen.

“Our demand for wage increases is entirely justified at a time when commerce sector companies are making good profits and economic prospects are improving, but the financial situation of workers in the sector remains historically weak. This injustice must be corrected,” the PAM President added.

Earlier on February 12, PAM warned that the union would take legal action against the employers, if the workers face any discrimination for joining the strike.