Nokia Staff Stage Walkout over Job Cuts
Thousands of Nokia staff walked out on strike last Friday in protest at the company's recently announced plan to cut up to 700 jobs. Up to 8,500 office staff was set to stop working at 2 pm at Nokia's Tampere and Oulu offices, according to Susanna Konttinen, representative for the Union of Salaried Employees. The strike was to last the remainder of Friday afternoon, although it is not clear how many staff participated in the walkout.
The employees will return to work as normal today and no further action is currently planned. Jukka Kivari, chairman of senior office workers union in Oulu, said the workers objected to reduced bonuses and the planned layoffs.
''We are surprised by this action because we want as good a result as possible from these negotiations,'' Nokia spokeswoman Arja Suominen said. ''The talks will continue.'' Suominen said Nokia had not paid bonuses at the end of 2006 because units had failed to reach their targets.
Linear Mode
