More than 4,500 food industry employees will defend legal protection against dismissal by going on a political strike next Wednesday

The Finnish Food Workers’ Union SEL has declared a political strike at 15 workplaces in the food industry on Wednesday, 3 October 2018. More than 4,500 food industry employees will take part in the strike. The strike is in defense of protection against arbitrary dismissal and to demand Juha Sipilä’s Government to withdraw its proposal for undermining employee protection against dismissal at companies with fewer than 20 employees.

– We cannot accept any weakening of protection against dismissal, which is fundamentally important security for employees. In practice, employees at small workplaces would be on an ongoing trial period and live in uncertainty. This would be utterly unreasonable for individuals, says Veli-Matti Kuntonen, the President of SEL.

Approximately one fifth of all employees working at food industry companies covered by SEL’s collective agreements will go on strike next Wednesday. SEL is prepared to expand political industrial action with other trade unions that are members of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK, if the Government does not withdraw its proposal to undermine protection against dismissal.

The first phase of the strike will include large workplaces in the food industry.

– It is important that employees at large workplaces clearly reject the undermining of protection against dismissal at this stage, before the act is passed, because after that there will certainly be talk of how protection against dismissal should be just as weak at businesses of all sizes, Kuntonen says.
 

Food industry workplaces that will join SEL’s political strike on Wednesday, 3 October 2018:


Atria

Seinäjoki units
Kauhajoki unit
Forssa unit
Meat inspectors subordinated to the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira
The strike does not pertain to poultry production.

HKScan

Forssa unit
Vantaa unit
Outokumpu unit
Mikkeli unit
Meat inspectors subordinated to the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira
The strike does not pertain to poultry production.

Fazer Confectionery

Vantaa unit
Lappeenranta unit

Orkla Confectionery & Snacks/Panda

Vaajakoski unit (shifts intended to end on 3 October)

Saarioinen

Sahalahti unit
Huittinen unit

Hartwall

Lahti unit

Olvi

Iisalmi unit

Sinebrychoff

Kerava units

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