Paper workers start strike at UPM mills

Members of the Paperworkers’ Union, the Finnish Electrical Workers´ Union and the Trade Union Pro have started strikes at the mills of the forest-based industry company UPM in the country from Saturday morning.

The strike has begun at most of the UPM mills in Jämsänkoski, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Pietarsaari, Rauma, Tampere and Valkeakoski at 6:00 am and will continue until 6:00 am on 22 January 2022 unless a new collective labour agreement is reached before that, said the UPM in a press release on Saturday.

The Paperworkers’ Union has not excluded any work from the strike, not even critical tasks, such as operating and maintenance of water treatment and power plants.

UPM businesses falling under the strikes are UPM Pulp, UPM Biofuels, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Specialty Papers and UPM Raflatac.

The strike, however, do not concern UPM Plywood and UPM Timber, both of which signed business specific collective agreements with the Industrial Union in December. UPM Energy will be also operated normally as it complies with the generally applied collective agreements of the energy industry.

Previous collective agreements between the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and the Paperworkers’ Union, the Finnish Electrical Workers´ Union and the Trade Union Pro expired on 31 December and do not have after-effect, as UPM was not a party in the agreements.

Since last spring, UPM has tried to initiate negotiations with the Paperworkers’ Union with no response. As there has not been opportunities to discuss terms of employment, UPM businesses announced temporary terms of labour to the members of the union in November. These terms are in effect until a new agreement will be reached.

So far, negotiations have begun only in UPM Biofuels, but they were interrupted by the Paperworkers’ Union just before Christmas.

UPM will service its customers from its mills located outside of Finland to the extent possible. At this point, UPM does not disclose estimates of the economic impacts of the strikes, the UPM added in the press release.