10,000 technology staff strike over pay in Finland

Some 10,000 professional and managerial staff in Finland's technology industry went on strike on Tuesday after rejecting a wage offer made by a national conciliator, their union said.

Late Monday, the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN) board declined the mediator's proposal, saying it "did not include the similar wage increase model as the agreements of Metal Workers and Pro," the private sector salaried employees' union.

Those two unions reached a collective wage agreement last week after around 30,000 workers walked off the job for four days.

Tuesday's strike, which began at 6:00 am (0400 GMT), affects senior salaried employees at 40 companies in Finland's technology industry.

Framework national salary agreements were hammered out earlier this autumn by a consortium of employer and employee representatives.

But employers, represented by the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries, would prefer to have company-specific salary negotiations within the boundaries of the framework deal.

"Company-specific wage increase negotiations help the industry cope, even under challenging economic situations. It creates incentives for personnel, and gives the companies a chance to reward good performance," Risto Alanko, executive vice president of the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries said in a recent statement.

But YTN chairman Heikki Kauppi said that attitude could endanger the entire income policy agreement.

"Senior salaried employees are the only staff group that would have to settle for increases divided unilaterally by the employer. YTN thinks that the collective agreement should ensure our members an adequate wage increase," Kauppi said in a statement.

If no agreement is reached by Monday, the strike action may expand to an additional 40 companies, affecting a total of 25,000 workers.

(c) 2011 AFP