The political industrial action organized by AKT concerns 17,000 employees in the transport sector
Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT opposes the government's needles attacks on the world of work and unfair cuts in social welfare. The changes to working life are very one-sided and significant. AKT participates on a broad front in the political labor struggles on 14.12. Protective work and servicemen repatriation transports are left outside of the activities.
AKT opposes the government's weakening of labor legislation and social welfare cuts. The working life changes of the government program only benefit employers.
For the employees, the changes are exclusively negative, they weaken working conditions, employment security and opportunities to influence.
Instead of the development of working life, a sharp bifurcation is growing. The position of the weakest people in society is further weakened.
AKT will participate on Thursday 14.12. in political industrial action with The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and its affiliated unions. About ten industries are involved in AKT. Included are for example the truck industry, bus industry, drivers who work with commercial sector, tanker and oil product industry drivers, travel agency industry, terminal operations and dockers.
The political stoppages cover a total of 150 companies and approximately 17,000 employees. In particular, the industrial action will be visible in local traffic in large cities.
Servicemen get home
Work done to protect life, health and the environment is delimited outside of industrial action measures. The repatriation transports of servicemen, which are handled as charter traffic, are also left outside of the activities.
The company listing can be found here.
SAK's unions have been trying to influence the government's policies with #PainavaSyy expressions for months. No progress has been made. Now AKT is involved in showing that the employees are serious. The opinion is not expressed against the government, but against its government´s program.
- The tripartite negotiations between employers, employees and government have shown that wage earners are not consulted in those groups. We only have the opportunity there to acknowledge the entries in the government program, but nothing else, says AKT chairman Ismo Kokko.
The government can still cancel the strikes
Time is ticking. It is still expected that the government will start negotiating the government program and its very one-sided solutions for employees. Orpo-Purra's government still has until Wednesday to open up such a discussion that the broad, country-wide industrial action measures can be cancelled.
- For us, the Nordic model means a working life that respects employees and is based on collective agreement, Niko Blom, the 2nd vice-president of AKT, says.