FINNISH STRIKES END

Grey River Argus, 24 November 1948, Page 5

FINNISH STRIKES END

(From Reuter’s Correspondent)

Karl August Fagerhoim’s Social Democrat Government has crushed

unofiiciai strikes threatening tu paralyse Finlanas’ economic me anti torce key posts tor Communists in his moderate cabinet. “Far from winning sucn posts they have played then last card and lost'" says Fagerholm. communists who have merged with the extreme Left Wing Socialists into the Peoples Democrat Barty lust caned strikes alter Fagerholm had refused their demands lor lour seats in a proposed coalition cabinet consisting of Agrarians, who won the general elections last July, Social Democrats and Beopies Democrats. Towards the end of October, the Peoples Democrats had persuaded most workers at the Arabia Procelain Factory and a number of dockers in Finland’s ports to strike. The strikers claimed a wage increase of twenty-two per cent., for all workers and the overthrow of the Fagerholm Government which, they said, was impairing the country’s relations with the soviet Union. The Government refused to meet their demands and ordered police detachments, tour hundred strong on occasions, to disperse the strikers molesting men and women wishing to go to their work benches. To support the Government, the Social Democrat dominated Trade Union Federation issued a statment that the strikes were a breach of existing employer-employee wages agreements and illegal. Issuing a warning that an abandonment of existing wages controls would lead to increased inflation and aggravate the position of the workers, the Federation promised to support the Government provided it made wages adjustments which the Federation advocated and carried out Cabinet Ministers’ promises of measures designed to raise the standard of living. By the beginning or November all the dockers had returned to work, the Arabia strikers were dismissed and replaced by other personnel. Although Helsinki dockers as a “demonstration of working class solidarity” refused to load Arabia products, the country was clam and production normal. Then the Communist dominated Transport Workers’. Union called an unofficial strike for November 6 to enforce its claims for a thirty per cent., wage increase for all its memIbers, all passengers and goods traffic tby rail and road was to cease. The Trade Unions’ Federation supported Fagerholm in condemning the threatened strike but his greatest assistance came from the Peoples Democrats in the motor trade. These mechanics, garage hands and drivers had broken away from the Transport Workers Union and formed their own organisation which they called the Motor Industry General Union. They made it clear in a number of statements to Cabinet Ministers' and officials of the Transport Workers’ Union that they would not support the strike and on November 5 the union issued a statement that the strike would be called off.