Key Finnish industries resolve wage disputes

Wage disputes in the Finnish technology and chemicals industries have been resolved, ending the risk of labour strikes that were due to begin next week, employers and a workers' union said on Sunday. Last week, more than 7,000 workers of industries that included stainless steelmaker Outokumpu went on a three-day strike which was meant to expand to more than 10,000 industrial employees of companies such as Kone, Konecranes, Metso Outotec, Neste , Orion and SSAB between Feb. 8 and 10.

The agreement is a key step in defining workers' pay rises in Finland as the tech industry has traditionally been considered a benchmark for other unions' demands. The Finnish Industrial Union said it had agreed to a two-year wage deal which will increase wages by 7% over two years for employees, including a one-off extra payment of 400 euros this year.

The wage deal covers some 90,000 industrial employees, it said, adding a similar deal was reached for some 13,000 chemical industry employees.

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