Fifteen day fines were recently imposed on representatives of
the Stevedore Worker Associations of Helsinki and Kotka by the
Helsinki and Kymenlaakso District Courts for initiating work
stoppages in breach of the advance notification requirement under
the Act on Conciliation of Labor Conflicts (1962/420) (the
"Act").
In February 2010, strikes by stevedores in Helsinki and in Kotka
garnered considerable national media attention. In both cities, the
"speed-up strikes" coincided with collective agreement
negotiations. Representatives of the labor organizations provided
notice of the impending work stoppages less than twenty-four hours
before the strikes began.
Under Section 7 of the Act, a party intending to initiate a work
stoppage must provide advance notification. The Act requires that
the party seeking to initiate the stoppage must give notice of the
intended stoppage or extension of ongoing stoppage to the opposing
party and to the Office of the Conciliator
