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9 April, 2007
The Finnish Electrical Workers’ Union succeeded in a four-month campaign, winning €700,000 in backpay and reciprocity for 88 Polish electricians. The electricians worked on construction projects in Finland.
The union discovered that a Gdansk, Poland-based contractor, MSB, was violating Finnish pay guidelines at a huge construction site near Tampere in November 2006.
The electricians were earning €5-per-hour, while the average electrician’s pay in Finland is about €14-per-hour.
When the Electrical Workers’ Union sought information from MSB on working conditions in November, the company did not respond. The union then commenced a blockade against MSB, preventing the Polish company from performing any work in Finland. The union demanded that all companies, and their workers, abstain from working with MSB on any construction project.
The Electrical Workers’ Union also pressed Finnish state authorities to intervene in the company’s illegal work practices, as well.
The pressure campaign worked. In early February, MSB came to agreement with the union on the process for paying wage arrears, as well as social security and tax reciprocation with Poland’s government. Last week, Trade Union News from Finland reported that the agreement calls for wages to be brought up to levels common in Finnish collective agreements – €12.30- to €14-per-hour – and that of the €700,000 sum, €330,000 will be transferred to the Polish tax and social security authorities.
“This case is a strong message to companies that employ foreign labour,” the Electrical Workers’ Keijo Rimmistö told Trade Union News. “Respect, voluntarily, the Finnish collective agreements, as, in case you don’t, our union will compel you to pay the arrears payments. Letting things go … you not only risk your reputation, but also risk waking the interest of the police.”