Kihnu Veeteed ferry workers to strike after failed pay talks, seamen's union says
Estonia's Seamen's Independent Union (EMSA) has decided that Kihnu Veeteed ferry workers serving the Kihnu, Vormsi and Sõru-Triigi routes will go on strike. The move follows unsuccessful negotiations over pay raises and a collective agreement.
The Estonian Seamen's Independent Union (EMSA) has decided that employees of ferry operator Kihnu Veeteed, which serves the Kihnu, Vormsi and Sõru-Triigi connections, will hold a strike, Estonian broadcaster ETV reports.
The strike was prompted by failed negotiations between EMSA and Kihnu Veeteed management over a wage increase and the signing of a collective agreement. The union has not yet set a date for when the strike will begin or how long it will last.
EMSA represents 26 of Kihnu Veeteed's 42 employees in total.
Some workers already reached a separate deal
Rus.ERR previously reported that on August 11, six Kihnu Veeteed employees formed their own separate union and reached a wage agreement. Before that, EMSA and Kihnu Veeteed had failed to reach agreement even with the help of a state conciliator.
The labor dispute has been ongoing since spring. In late July it already led to a warning strike by workers on the ferries Kihnu Virve, which serves Kihnu island, and Ormsö, which serves Vormsi island.
