Mail delivery to take strike action on 14 December 2023

11.12.2023

The Finnish Post and Logistics Union PAU takes part in the collective action day of SAK and the unions by placing mail delivery on strike on Thursday 14 December 2023 from 00:00 to 24:00. The scope of the strike includes all work preparing for mail delivery at the delivery starting locations and the mail delivery itself. Mechanical sorting work done at the post centers and the pre-arranged Christmas card sorting shifts are excluded from strike action. Work related to health and safety is also excluded from the strike action.

The strike is part of SAK and the unions’ #SeriousGrounds campaign which opposes the governments radical cuts to working conditions, unemployment insurance and the right to strike. The government’s cuts will also affect PAU members. The strike is a legal, political demonstration established by PAU’s board, and it cannot result in any sanctions for the individual employee. Work under the strike is not to be done during the strike. The work is on strike, and the work is not to be done regardless of the form of the employment contract. PAU pays strike allowance of 67 euros per day (net 51,70 euros) to its members participating in the strike. You can apply for strike assistance electronically 14 December 2023 onwards from pau.lakkoavustus.fi.

Why are we on strike?

The government is planning significant changes to labor legislation, unemployment insurance and the right to strike which will also affect PAU members. With the political strike, we want to influence the government so that it cancels the cuts and takes the workers’ concerns seriously.

With the political strike, we oppose these plans to weaken social security and workers’ rights: 

• No pay for the first day of sick leave
• “Relevant grounds” becoming sufficient for dismissal, instead of the present higher threshold of “relevant and serious grounds”
• Broader scope to set aside statutory employment standards by collective  bargaining at individual workplaces with no shop steward 
• Special grounds for temporary employment only required when the job lasts for longer than one year
• Hampering settlement of industrial disputes by limiting the powers of the national conciliator. In worst case PAU has no longer right to negotiate salary increases 
• Shortening notification and bargaining periods for temporary layoffs
• No duty to re-engage dismissed workers in businesses with fewer than 50 employees
• Restrictions on sympathetic and political strike action. A €200 fine for individual strikers when a strike is found to be illegal
• The right on sympathetic strikes is very important for members in unions like PAU. During the 2019 postal strike, support strikes played a decisive role in preventing PAU from 30% wage reductions and the scrapping of working conditions.
• A dramatic increase in union strike fines.

Weaker unemployment security:

• Earnings-related unemployment benefit already reduced after two months 20 percent and after 8 months 5 percent more 
• Unemployment insurance child increases will be removed completely. Currently the child increases are 150-285 euros per month, depending on the number of children
• Example: Currently, if a postal worker, who has two children and earns 2 000 euros per month, loses their job, they will get an earnings-related daily allowance of approximately 1520 euros per month. After removing child increases, the earnings-related daily allowance would be 1300 euros per month. After the 20 % cut to the total allowance, the earnings-related daily allowance would only be 1040 euros minus taxes
• A prolonged waiting period for unemployment benefit
• A longer employment condition for earnings-related benefit
• Eligibility for unemployment benefit to begin only after phasing of outstanding holiday compensation
• Abolition of the unemployment benefit and housing allowance portions that are protected during part-time working
• Cuts in benefits for unemployed elderly workers
• Abolition of adult education benefit.

For more information please contact to:

• Collective Agreement and Organisation Expert Jarmo Tuominen, tel. 040 315 44014, jarmo.tuominen@pau.fi
• Union secretary Jussi Saariketo, tel. 044 2685 110, jussi.saariketo@pau.fi
• Information officer, Juha Pöyry, tel. 040 356 0567, juha.poyry@pau.fi
• Follow PAUs briefing: www.pau.fi, www.facebook.com/PAUliitto, X (Twitter) @PAU_liitto, Instagram: pau_liitto
• For more information about SAK #SeriousGrounds – campaign: www.sak.fi/en/serious-grounds