STX Finland workers strike over shipyard layoffs

More than 1,600 Finnish shipyard workers put down their tools Wednesday to protest planned job cuts at STX Finland's shipyard in Turku, union officials said. The three-day strike began a day after the shipyard announced plans to eliminate 400 jobs and temporarily lay off many of the yard's 2,300 workers.
Two weeks ago, the Turku yard, in southwestern Finland, completed the construction of the world's biggest cruise liner — the Oasis of the Seas. The euro1 billion ($1.5 billion) ship, commissioned by Royal Caribbean, had provided jobs at the yard for more than two and a half years.
"We can understand that managers want to lay off workers temporarily as there is little work at the moment, but we don't see a need for permanent job cuts, especially as there are plans to outsource some of the construction work at the yard," said Jari Aalto, chief shop steward at Turku.
The shipyard is building a sister ship for Royal Caribbean — the Allure of the Seas — due to be launched in 2011. Spanning 1,200 feet (360 meters) from bow to stern, it will be the same size as the Oasis of the Seas, with 16 decks, several swimming pools and 2,700 cabins able to accommodate up to 8,500 people.
About 2,000 workers are working on the new ship — about half of them STX Finland employees.
Some 320 employees at the Turku yard have been temporarily laid off.