Finnish food producers begin three-day strike
HELSINKI (AFP) - Some 9,300 Finnish food industry workers began a three-day strike early Wednesday after talks for a collective labour deal broke down without agreement, both sides to the dispute said.
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The strike by members of the Finnish food industry worker's union SEL affected 57 production units across the country, including bakeries, dairies and meat processing plants, SEL said on its website.
The Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation (ETL), which has announced work closures from April 26 to May 1, said it was "particularly worried" about the impacts of the strike on the meat industry.
"The interruption in slaughters will quickly lead to crowding in hog houses and threaten the health of animals," it said in a statement posted on its website.
Stores had prepared for the strike and "only limited interruptions" in the availability of groceries was expected, although the range of choice for some products could be narrower than usual, ETL said.
SEL said it would stage another, broader strike including 83 production units and 11,700 workers on May 5-10, if no agreement was found before then.
