Kihnu and Vormsi Ferry Crews Go on Strike Over Pay
A warning strike began at noon Sunday on ferries connecting the Estonian mainland with the islands of Kihnu and Vormsi after pay negotiations stalled.
Strikes are underway Sunday lunchtime on ferries serving two of Estonia's smaller islands—Kihnu and Vormsi—after no breakthrough was made in pay negotiations between the union and employer.
The industrial action, a warning strike, affects ferries between the mainland and the islands after 13 ferry crews and their employer failed to reach a wage agreement.
Union leader Jüri Lember told ERR that the Ormsö ferry is remaining in Sviby harbor on Vormsi between noon and 1 p.m. Sunday, thus not sailing its regular route to Rohuküla on the mainland. Similarly, the Kihnu Virve will be docked at Kihnu harbor over the same period instead of sailing to Munalaiu.
Initially, the warning strike for the Kihnu Virve had been planned for a later afternoon time when it would have been in port on the mainland.
The Estonian Independent Seafarers' Union had turned to the national conciliator in an effort to reach a collective agreement with ferry operator Kihnu Veeteed. The union sought a pay rise of up to 30 percent plus indexation of wages next year.
While a response was due from Kihnu Veeteed by 2 p.m. last Wednesday, none was received, prompting the crews of the two ferries to proceed with the strike.
The seafarers' union said it has been trying to reach a collective agreement with the employer since March 9, but without success. The company also failed to respond within the deadline to a settlement proposal issued by the national conciliator on June 26, and the union added that the company's positions overall have lacked substance.
