Union called on Prisma workers to strike during winter ski holiday

Palvelualojen ammattiliitto (PAM), the Finnish trade union of services, has called 50,000 workers of retail and real estate services to a large-scale industrial action during the next winter ski holiday. 

According to the information released by PAM, among the first to go on strike will be the S-Group's Inex Partners Oy consumer goods and grocery logistics centre and all Prisma stores. If there is no agreement to avoid it before, Prisma stores may close for two days as a result of this action.

PAM was negotiating the commercial sector collective agreement with the Finnish Commerce Federation and the collective agreement for employees in the facility services sector with Real Estate Employers. Both employers’ federations are members of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK).

But negotiations broke off on Friday and now the Executive Committee of PAM decided on a large-scale industrial action covering almost 50,000 jobs.

PAM president, Annika Rönni-Sällinen, blames EK for preventing genuine union-specific negotiations.

"Despite our best efforts, the negotiations didn't progress. Because of this, we had no other alternative but to decide on a large-scale industrial action covering almost 50,000 jobs. Obviously, the employers' federations will now have to face the consequences," Rönni-Sällinen emphasized.

Prisma stores will be on strike from Thursday 20

According to PAM, the strike at Inex Partners Oy will start on Tuesday 18 February at 6:00 and end on Saturday 22 at midnight.

Prisma stores will be on strike from Thursday 20 February at 6:00 until Friday 21 at midnight.

“It is not our intention to unduly disrupt daily life for retail customers and due to the nature of the sector, we do not expect the stores to be totally closed. The point of the strikes is to get the employers to conduct genuine union-specific negotiations, to agree on matters from the sector’s perspective and not conditional on EK’s coordination,” says Rönni-Sällinen.

Strikes in the real estate services sector will also begin in week 8 in Lapland, North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia and Central Finland.

“We have also decided on strikes after week 8. PAM will announce industrial action for the following weeks later. I hope decisions on the collective agreement can be reached before the strikes start,” states Rönni-Sällinen.