Finland: Brewery and soft drink plant workers in nationwide strike until March 29

A nationwide strike involving brewery and soft drink plant workers began on Sunday evening (March 23). The strike affects three of Finland’s largest breweries and is expected to continue until Friday, March 29, Helsinki Times reported.

Roughly 1,000 workers from Hartwall in Lahti, Olvi in Iisalmi, and Sinebrychoff in Kerava are taking part. The strike also covers Hartwall’s warehouse in Tattariharju, Helsinki, and Sinebrychoff’s equipment services in Kerava.

The breweries involved produce some of Finland’s best-known alcoholic and soft drink brands, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Jaffa, Fanta, long drinks, and Olvi, Sandels, Karhu, and Koff beers.

The strike follows a similar walkout by bakery workers earlier in March. Both actions stem from unresolved disputes in the food industry between the Finnish Food Workers’ Union SEL and the Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation ETL.

Negotiations between the two sides have been ongoing since early February. The main point of contention concerns working hours and wages for bakery employees. Although ETL accepted a settlement proposal on Friday that maintained a 100 percent night work bonus, SEL rejected the offer. The union argued the proposal still significantly weakened current working time arrangements.

As a result, SEL confirmed the strike would go ahead across all shifts starting 23 March at 21:00 and ending 28 March at 21:00.

Ministerial authorities have delayed a separate strike targeting the meat and staple food sectors, which was originally set to begin on 25 March. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment moved the action to 8 April following a recommendation from the National Conciliator, citing its potential impact on essential societal functions.

Breweries have said consumers will not face immediate shortages. Hartwall, Olvi, and Sinebrychoff stated they had increased production and stockpiled goods in advance once the strike appeared likely.

“These are not fresh products,” said Titta Jaakkola, Head of Content and Communications at Hartwall. “Some Hartwall drinks may be temporarily unavailable in shops or restaurants if the strike extends beyond Friday.”

Olvi reported strong availability of its products throughout the strike week. Sinebrychoff said production and distribution at its Kerava site would halt entirely, and stock replenishment during the strike was not possible. The company had, however, shipped additional volumes to retailers and restaurants in preparation.

“If there’s a particular flavour you want, it’s best to pick it up early for the weekend,” Timo Mikkola, Sinebrychoff’s Head of Communications told Helsingin Sanomat.

Retailers have confirmed that inventories have been bolstered, but limits remain.

“The stores have been stocked extensively,” said Sampo Päällysaho, Head of Grocery Trade at SOK. “Still, if the strike lasts several days, shortages in some items could occur.”

Petri Miettinen, manager of K-Supermarket Tripla in Helsinki, said beverage products are space-consuming and not easy to stock for an entire week.

“We usually receive deliveries from the major breweries three times a week. One load is meant to cover only a few days,” he said.

He predicted that multi-packs and the most popular items, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, would be the first to run out. Shoppers might need to switch to less common soft drinks or buy individual cans instead of packs.

“What runs out depends on the shop. In some places, it might be water. In others, beer,” Miettinen said.

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