STOP. Destia’s, Raskone’s, Labtium’s and Finavia’s JHL member employees will take part in a work stoppage on Friday, 11 September 2009. The stoppage will last for six hours. It will begin at 12 noon and end at 6 p.m. STOP.

The work stoppage involves:

• Destia’s workplaces around Finland, including ferries
• airports
• Labtium’s workplaces in Rovaniemi, Kuopio, Sodankylä, Raahe, Espoo and Outokumpu
• Raskone’s repair workshops around Finland

This is a question of principle. Even the intention to possibly sell is unacceptable because:  
 
• This is a question of national property, the State’s basic infrastructure and structure.
• Securing good, efficient traffic connections is the national economy’s backbone.
• Soil surveying and testing and natural resource know-how will, in the worst-case scenario, disappear overseas.
• One aspect of Finnish national defence, the maintenance of the Finnish Defence Forces’ heavy machinery, will crumble.

On 11 September Prime Minister Vanhanen’s government will seek permission to sell from Parliament. Destia and Labtium as well as the majority shares of Raskone are the first in line. Finavia will be incorporated at the beginning of 2010.

In any case the intention to sell is short-sighted politics: a quick way of procuring money to fill up the hole left by tax concessions, and also an indication that the State is trying to wriggle its way out of its basic responsibilities as an owner.

• What price will be paid for the future construction and maintenance of Finland’s national property?
• Will national defence and security tasks be handed over to profit-hungry companies?
• Will natural resource know-how and soil surveillance from the State’s data bank be handed over to private companies?
• Will all of our national property be up for sale in the future?

In JHL’s opinion the sale

• will, at worst, endanger the maintenance of the country’s basic infrastructure
• in the worst-case scenario cause natural resource know-how and national defence maintenance operations to be steered into the hands of foreign listed companies.

Participating companies:

Destia Oy

Fields of operation: construction services, industrial, environmental and traffic services. Destia was incorporated in early 2008. Formerly the Finnish Road Administration.

If Destia is sold there is the risk that the construction and maintenance of roads and traffic routes will become drastically overpriced. The sale would not increase competition, in fact to the contrary: fewer private companies would be left on the market to set prices.
Through its employees, Destia has amassed decades of know-how. The State cannot afford to lose it.

Raskone Oy Field of operations: heavy machinery repair workshop.

Raskone was incorporated in early 1999. Raskone previously functioned as a state-owned commercial enterprise from July 1994 when the Finnish Road Administration relinquished its own repair workshop operations.

Labtium Oy Field of operations: laboratory, testing and expert services, georesearch and mining industry, environmental research.

Labtium was incorporated in 2007. It began life as the laboratory for the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
Labtium is in danger of being wholly purchased by foreign buyers. Can the Finnish State afford to hand over the surveying of Finnish soil to a foreign company?

Finavia Field of operations: airport maintenance and operations, passenger and luggage security inspections.

A state-owned commercial enterprise which will be incorporated in 2010. Formerly the Civil Aviation Administration.