Talks to resolve Finland’s ports strike to begin
Talks to end a port strike costing export-dependent Finland hundreds of millions of euros will resume today, both parties said yesterday.
Juha Mutru, head of the Finnish Port Operators Association, said talks would begin at lunchtime, while spokeswoman Hilkka Ahde from transport workers union AKT confirmed the state mediator had called for talks to resume.
Stevedores went on strike on 4 March, with Finnish industry estimating the costs at €100m (£91m) a day. The action threatens a nascent recovery in Finland’s economy as industries including forestry, electronics and metals are hit. Some 60 per cent of Finland’s papermaking capacity has been idled due to the strike.