UPM strikes end as agreements made
The ongoing strike at UPM mills in Finland has come to an end after an agreement was made between the UPM and the Paperworkers’ Union.
Friday, 13 May 2022 11:46 GMT
The strikes lasted almost four months
The mill and Union settled on ‘first-ever’ business-specific collective labour agreements for five UPM businesses.
Approximately 2,100 employees from across UPM Pulp, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Raflatac, and UPM Biofuels units in Finland downed tools for almost four months.
However, around 200 of these workers were required by a court order to continue tasks such as heat generation and water management which were deemed as critical to society.
The strikes were held in a bid to attain a new labour agreement and caused a big impact on a number of industries including the print industry which cited paper shortages leading to longer lead times. That being said, the full economic impact is unknown.
The process was long, but in the end, we were able to agree on terms of employment that take the needs and special features of our businesses into account”
The business-specific solutions proposed to increase productivity include switching to uninterrupted 365-day running of pulp mills and more flexible use of workforce during long maintenance shut downs at UPM Pulp.
UPM Communications Papers agreed on additional hours and flexible use of working time as well as an “encouraging” pay system which improves the earnings of maintenance and day work.
At UPM Specialty Papers, an agreement was made to improve competitiveness and reliability of deliveries which widens the scope of local bargaining at mill level and improves operational profitability during public holidays.
UPM Raflatac’s collective labour agreement enables the mill to build more flexible working hour arrangements and resourcing of Tampere factory.
New terms enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the businesses and mills as well as ensure good terms for employees, too”
Finally, at the UPM Biofuels, an agreement was made on the flexible use of shifts and training in shift work, as well as a pay structure to support personal development.
Jyrki Hollmén, vice president of Labour Markets at UPM, comments: “In negotiations, many aspects of the contracts were viewed from a totally new standpoint. The process was long, but in the end, we were able to agree on terms of employment that take the needs and special features of our businesses into account.
“New terms enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the businesses and mills as well as ensure good terms for employees, too.”
The new agreements are valid for four years until April 21st , 2026 and were made effective on April 22nd.
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