The walk out, initially planned to begin on Friday, the start of the winter holiday season in southern Finland, is now scheduled for March 4.
Labour Minister Anni Sinnemäki has approved Lonka's proposal for a postponement.
The Transport Workers’ Union AKT announced early this month that its stevedore members will walk off the job at all Finnish ports in an open-ended strike planned for this coming Friday, if a new contract is not ready by then. An overtime ban has been in effect since a 24-hour walkout on February 2nd.
Among the demands tabled by the Transport Workers’ Union AKT is one for stevedores who lose their jobs to be given a year's wages in severance pay. Employers have rejected the proposal.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen condemned the threatened industrial action. He said such a strike would only deepen the current economic downturn by cutting off the flow of exports.