In a weird way the elapsed period should already end. This is what we hope in Tornio, where we have been living under a protracted strike for a long time.
The employees of Tornio's largest employer, the Outokumpu steel factory, have stayed at home, and it shows in the traffic, where the usual truck rally is conspicuous by its absence.
“It's quite a strange situation,” he says Kati Kristo. Her husband works at “Kummu” and participates in the strike.
Kati Kristo thinks it is good that the unions are able to support the strikers.
Kristo's close circle is fully on behalf of the strikers. However, some entrepreneur friends may have thought that this is a pointless strike.
“Thus, from the employee's point of view, there is absolutely no point in striking. The situation is somehow perceived as so arbitrary,” he says.
Kristo himself is busy on weekdays. He is the executive director of Kumppanuuskeskus Luots at Tornio's Organizational Building. In recent weeks, Teollisuusliitto's strikers have been drawn in droves by the house's affordable six-euro lunch.
Today we offer oven kasler. It's already steaming in the serving dish when Jouni Kurttio comes from the door. He has been on strike duty in the morning at the factory's main gate.
Jouni Kurttio is a strike watcher from the Outokumpu factory.
The situation at the gates escalated this week when the employer assigned more and more workers to the factory for emergency work.
“A nasty act. You have to go to emergency work, but whether the employer has asked the avi (regional administrative agency) for their opinion, that's another matter,” says Kurttio.
Industrial union according to the view, not all assigned work has necessarily been conservation work. Now we are waiting for the decision of the regional administrative agency (avi) whether the regulations were legal.
There is also turmoil within the union. It is known that members have been fired for violating the overtime ban. Teollisuusliitto imposed a ban on overtime earlier this year as a political industrial action.
Outokumpu issued a profit warning due to strikes two weeks ago. At the time, the company estimated that its adjusted EBITDA would decrease by around 40 million euros if the strike lasted two weeks.
“It would be good if the strike ended someday, and it threatens to end someday, but when,” ponders the pensioner Ilkka Viinikka.
Juha Ylipekkala (left) and Ilkka Viinikka were waiting for lunch at the Organizational Building. The only Lapland Kansa in the house went from hand to hand.
“We'll stay until May Day, if the situation demands it,” says Kurttio, who has been with Outokumpu's bread for almost 20 years.
The government is trying to speed up the entry into force of the legal articles concerning labor peace, so that they would possibly be in force already on May Day. According to the motion, the duration of political work stoppages should no longer exceed 24 hours.
Viinika's sympathies are on the side of the strikers, but it also worries what will be the fate of the workers after the strikes. Will there be layoffs and layoffs?
Some have already lost their job because of the strike, even though they are not on strike themselves. This is what happened Roope for Frilanderwho has been trying to pass the time in recent weeks.
Roope Frilander says that the strike gets people talking in the work groups, but the young people don't discuss the strike with each other.
Frilander is an entrepreneur who works for different factories.
“Fuck off when you can't get to work. I'm not on strike, but you can't get into the factory through the company when there's a strike.”
The losses in Frilander's company are increasing day by day.
“It was calculated that the same 40,000 euros have already been lost in invoicing alone because of not being able to get to work. This affects quite a lot of people, if even ten holes suddenly run out of work.”
In Frilander's opinion, the strikes should end.
“Employees should not get involved in things. Let them argue with each other. So many other parties are also suffering here.”
A native of Tornio Jukka Yliviuhkola says that he is basically always on the weaker side, but right now he is not convinced what can be achieved with strikes.
Jukka Yliviuhkola is not convinced of the utility of strikes. “The changes will be passed through.”
“Some of the reforms have already been decided quite far in the parliament”, Yliviuhkola reminds.
The state's growing debt burden worries him.
“I still condemn these surgeries that are being done now. I myself come from a working-class family. However, now it seems that the changes will be pushed through.”
Organizational house was built as a meeting place for the working population in Tornio in 1962. Over the decades, a workers' house has been needed in a city that has seen a wide variety of industrial production, from a brewery to a sock factory.
The location of the Outokumpu steel factory was sealed by President Kekkonen's decision to Tornio in 1973. The factory currently has more than 2,000 employees and its employment effect on the entire region is manifold.
A large part of people from Torni have some connection to the factory. Either you work there yourself or at least someone close to you works there.
Timo and Tuija Kujansuu the boy works at Outokumpu, The fairy tale of Hollow the boy is going to the factory for summer work.
Viivi (left) and Satu Onkalo came from shopping. Satu Onkalo works at K-Citymarket in Keminmaa and thinks that the long strike will still affect goods transport.
“Hopefully the strike will be over by then,” says Onkalo.
Timo Kujansuu has not noticed that the strike has had much effect on the lives of the townspeople. Is it because of the strikers or tourists, but there has been a special bustle in the shops, especially on the Haaparanta side, recently, he says.
Timo and Tuija Kujansuu's son works as a fireman at the factory, so he is never on strike. “Those on strike are satisfied when they get the same as when they are at work, but they are on vacation. There's no rush to work at all,” laughs Timo Kujansuu.
“I will go shopping there myself, the course is so affordable.”
The Kujansuus are on the side of the strikers and hope the government will bend.
Seppo Anttila had lunch at the Organizational House. He lamented the long strike, which will result in losses for everyone.
The strike has now dragged on for so long that Tornio doesn't remember seeing anything like it before. Seppo Anttila thinks that the situation in general in the labor market has never been this stuck before.
“Employees have their salary suspended when they have to go on strike for a long time. At the same time, prices have risen. There will be terrible losses for everyone here.”
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