Electrical workers’ union mounts a blockade
against the Polish company MSB

Helsinki (04.12.2006 / edited 06.12.2006 – Juhani Artto) MSB, a company based in Gdansk in Northern Poland, is seriously in breech of labour legislation rules in regard to its work sites in Finland in what amounts to dumping working conditions. Polish electricians have been paid only 5 hours per hour, a third of the hourly rate laid down by the Finnish collective agreement.

The latest case of dumping was exposed, a couple of weeks ago, by the current affairs programme Ajankohtainen kakkonen (www.yle.fi/a2) on TV2. The Electrical workers’ union asked the MSB for information about the working conditions of its electricians in Finland but the company failed to provide satisfactory explanations.

Therefore the Electrical workers’ union declared, a week ago, blockade against MSB’s involvement in projects in Finland. The union expects all companies and labour operating in Finland to abstain from any cooperation on new projects with MSB. In Finland, the blockade tactic is, every now and then, applied by union organisations, mainly in the construction industry.

The union has also asked authorities to intervene in MSB’s operations in Finland and put an end to any illegal practises.

The union’s activity has already had consequences at a huge construction site where the main contractor SR Viitoset has frozen payments to its subcontractor Sähköpeko which had in turn subcontracted out work to MSB.

MSB has about 300 employees. The 2004 established company’s annual turnover has grown to about EUR 2 million. MSB has both Polish and Finnish owners. To date MSB has participated in construction projects in Poland, Finland and Norway.