Employers Warn Strikers of Possible Retaliation
Published: 05.03.2012 13:11
Employers' Confederation Chair Tarmo Kriis
( Photo: Postimees/Scanpix )
The Employers' Confederation has warned that this week's strikes may lead to consequences for participants.
"Trade unions must take into account that those suffering damages [employers - ed.] may demand claims," said Chairman Tarmo Kriis.
"A strike implies material damage. Not just for the opposition but also for third parties. For instance, the businesses whose employees cannot come to work," Kriis told uudised.err.ee.
Although the Trade Union Confederation's strike, sparked by the reform of the collective bargaining law, will be more pertinent to the private sector, Kriis expressed concern that businesses will also be negatively impacted by the school and kindergarten teachers strike, also happening this week.
In the latter initiative, the private sector is both an innocent bystander and a victim, Kriis said, because it does not have anything to do with state school teachers, who are demanding a pay rise. Nevertheless, teachers on strike will deal a blow to the private sector because some employees will have to stay at home with their children.
"In a strike, other parties must have the opportunity to react. In the given instance, we are not even really the opponents, but, nevertheless, there is nothing we can do about it,” said Kriis, adding that political strikes are a gray zone in Estonian law.
Ott Tammik