US embassy cable - 05HELSINKI710

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000710 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2015 
TAGS: PBTS, ELAB, ASEC, FI 
SUBJECT: FINNISH BORDER GUARDS STRIKE CONTINUES WITH 
LIKELIHOOD OF GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION 
 
 
Classified By: Mikael Cleverley for reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (U) The Finnish border guard strike remains unresolved 
after the Finnish Border Guards Union rejected a proposed 
settlement by Frontier Guard management last week. The strike 
action, which began on May 31, is the culmination of six 
months of negotiations that have centered on the issue of 
labor contracts and wages. Currently the strike effects the 
patrolling of Finland's southeast border, though it is likely 
to soon impact customs administration at Finnish harbors as 
well as the Helsinki Vantaa Airport. Senior Frontier Guard 
officials are currently performing border guard 
responsibilities. 
 
2. (U) The length of the strike (scheduled to continue until 
July 23 unless a settlement is reached) has been the cause of 
some attention in the press. An official dispute board is 
meeting today to assess the impact of the strike on Finland. 
The board can make (non-binding) recommendations to the 
Cabinet on ending or limiting the strike if it threatens 
national security. 
 
3. (U) Meanwhile, Parliament has drafted a bill that will 
require large numbers--if not all--border guards to return to 
work in order to guarantee border security during the IAAF 
World Athletics Championships on August 6-14. The bill, which 
was voted down last week by the Social Democrats, is expected 
to be introduced again next week in an emergency session of 
Parliament. 
 
4. (C) Post is optimistic that the issue will be resolved in 
advance of the championships. In private conversations, 
Parliament Speaker (and former Social Democrat Party Chair) 
Paavo Lipponen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen assured 
Ambassador Mack that the Government of Finland would 
intervene to ensure some kind of resolution. An assistant to 
Eero Heinaluoma, Chairman of the Social Democrat Party, made 
a similar statement to the Ambassador and suggested that an 
announcement might be made this week calling back Members of 
Parliament to an emergency session of Parliament (to take 
place on or around July 7th or 8th). All three indicated 
support for the bill. 
 
5. (C) An Embassy contact within the Ministry of Interior 
expressed confidence that the legislature would pass a bill 
to address the security concerns of a prolonged strike. If 
nothing else, he projected, it would provide a temporary 
measure to cover the period before, during and after the 
championships. Although he expressed sympathy with the union 
members, he also observed that it was not a coincidence that 
they had chosen to strike in such close proximity to the 
championships. 
MACK