Burst! The country's dockworkers and truckers went on strike, disrupting all port operations! Trade is paralyzed

Workers and truck drivers at Finland's main ports have gone on strike since 6am local time on February 15 after contract talks broke down. The strike, which affected all the country's ports and terminals, is expected to paralyse Finland's foreign trade and put further pressure on an economy already reeling from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"The strike will go on indefinitely until an agreement is reached," said Juha Anttila, who is in charge of the stevedoring industry at the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT). More than 95 percent of Finland's longshoremen belong to the union.
Also, hours before the dockworkers began their strike, truck drivers, who transport goods and petroleum products, began a strike that will last until Feb. 21.
It is understood that Ports affected by the strike include Helsinki, Hamina-Kotka, Hanko, Rauma, Turku, Kokkola, Naantali, Pori and Oru. Oulu) and Uusikaupunki.

According to the AKT trade union, contract negotiations focused on wages and some issues related to working conditions. Finnish stevedores are demanding a pay rise, citing rising living costs and inflation. In December, Finland's inflation rate was 9.1 percent.

Mediators from the European Labour Agency have stepped in to try to find suitable collective bargaining agreement terms. Ismo Kokko, head of the AKT trade union, said after walking out of the talks that the latest offer was insufficient in terms of wage increases and other employment conditions. Efforts to resolve the dispute will continue in the coming days, according to the mediator. The parties are due to resume talks later this week.
Finland's foreign trade is expected to come to a virtual halt as unions representing almost all dockworkers and truck drivers go on strike.
The Finnish Port Operators Association, the employer, reported that it expected "significant losses" from the strike. "The strike will halt operations at all Finnish ports, which handle 90 percent of Finland's foreign trade, and each day of the strike will affect more than $300 million worth of foreign trade," it said in a statement.
The strike affects about 9,000 workers and has been slammed by trade associations. "When there is a major disruption such as a strike, the loss of confidence, orders and customer loyalty cannot be recovered for a long time," Mika Aalto, general director of the Finnish Chemical Industry Federation, said in a statement.
Maersk also issued a notice yesterday reminding customers that all ship operations at Finnish ports, as well as gate openings and container loading and unloading inside terminals, were now suspended until further notice. Maersk will inform all customers of the status of each shipment they make.

Maersk notice
Finnish transport workers' union AKT has announced a strike in the transport sector from February 15 to 21, according to a notice from Posti, the Finnish postal and logistics company. In addition, the Postal and Logistics Union (PAU) has announced that it will support the AKT strike and take strike action over the loading and unloading of trucks and trailers from February 16 to February 21.
Posti said the strike would have an impact on its transport and terminal operations as well as domestic and international deliveries. Delays of parcels, letters and magazines, as well as international deliveries to and from Finland, are expected to range from a few days to more than a week. The same estimate applies to freight.
If the goods cannot be delivered due to a strike, they will be properly disposed of and stored. Health and safety-related deliveries have been excluded from strikes and support measures, such as those related to health care (blood and laboratory deliveries) and meals on wheels (schools, kindergartens, institutions and meals on wheels for the elderly).

rsource:https://www.sofreight.com/