The Finnish transport workers’ Union Akt announced on January 22 that it would block UPM in Finland to support the strikes of the paper workers’ Union and the Finnish electrical workers’ Union.

According to UPM, Akt’s support measures will be implemented in Finnish ports. During the blockade, dockers will not handle UPM paper and pulp. The blockade began at 6:00 on January 24.

Jyrki hollm é n, vice president of human market of UPM, said that Akt’s behavior did not make things better, and Akt was not even a party to the negotiation. We hope to negotiate with the paper trade union as soon as possible, so that both sides can put forward their own goals and seek solutions acceptable to all parties. Members of the paper trade union certainly have the right to strike, but now they have only postponed the start of negotiations.

At present, UPM does not disclose its estimate of the economic impact of the strike or blockade.

At present, the strike in seven factories of UPM in Finland has lasted three weeks. So far, there has been no settlement between the paper workers’ Union paperiliitto and UPM. Both sides said they were ready to negotiate, but only on their own terms.

Although UPM is seeking a separate agreement for each of its five business units, paperiliitto calls for a unified agreement on the working conditions of all UPM Finnish pulp and paper mills.

Paperiliitto has announced that if the two sides fail to reach an agreement, the strike will be extended until February 19. This is the second extension of the strike. In early January, the trade union extended the strike period to February 5.