Bank Workers Demand More Money

Bank employees are threatening to strike mid-December if their demands for higher wages are not met. The Trade Union Suora and the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff handed the state conciliator a strike warning on Monday.

Some 30,000 employees in the finance sector are prepared to strike from December 14-16 if their calls for more pay are ignored.

Tuula Lankila, the chair of the Trade Union Suora, says a strike would affect operations at bank branches. However, cash machines are expected to work normally.

Failure after months of negotiating

The Federation of Finnish Financial Services, which represents both workers and employers, had been working on a solution in the pay dispute for ten months. Talks broke down last Friday after employers offered a pay increase of one half percent. Employees refused.

Heikki Vitie, the Chair of the Federation’s Labour Market Executive Committee, says he hopes the two sides can reach an agreement with the help of Finland’s national conciliator.

”Finland is still in the throes of a deep recession. We think it is important for competitiveness to resume with the help of a moderate wage settlement,” he says.

Vitie adds that banks will try to secure their most important services including cash machine services, network services and bank card payments during the potential labour dispute.