TALLINN - A heated row aboard the Silja Symphony ferry, owned by the Estonian shipping group Tallink, has jeopardized the firm's reputation, with Swedish union members demanding that the ship remain under the Swedish flag. On Oct. 25, Tallink's board held a meeting in the Silja Symphony, one of the company's recent acquisitions on the Silja Line, during a trip from Helsinki to Stockholm, the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat reported.
After the meeting and a joint supper, the group proceeded to the ship's Atlantis Bar where a row broke out between board members and ferry employees after it was announced that the bar would be closing. The climax occurred when Estonian board member Andres Hunt reportedly punched a Silja Line employee in the face.
The board members then proceeded to a second bar on the ship, which was also closing.
"The board members offered money to keep the bar open. When things didn't go their way, [Finnish board member Keijo] Mehtonen declared that the service personnel, as employees of Tallink, had to obey the orders given to them without objection," the paper reported.
The group left the bar to settle the matter with the ship's personnel. Mehtonen reportedly said that, due to their bad service and poor competence, the entire crew would soon be replaced with new, cheaper employees.
In the end, the board members had to be escorted to their cabins. A report by the Swedish Service and Communication Union (SEKO) suggests that the arguments contained elements of sexual harassment.
The leaders of Tallink later apologized to the ferry crew, Silja Line spokesman Tuomas Nylund told Finland's STT news agency, adding that the apology was sent by e-mail.
On Nov. 8, SEKO announced that it intended to file a police report over the incident.
Two days later, the supervisory board of Tallink Grupp released a statement saying that Tallink was taking the "mostly anonymous" allegations very seriously.
"The improprieties that may have occurred during a private dinner and cruise of the management board and key advisors on Silja Symphony on Oct. 25 are regrettable and should not be seen as an evaluation or criticism of the staff's integrity or professionalism," the supervisory board said.
The statement added that Tallink had agreed to discuss any employee's complaint regarding the incident in an open, constructive and objective atmosphere.
Tallink Grupp will meet at the beginning of next week with SEKO representatives to discuss the incident.
"It is the company's intention to work out a policy which regulates the conduct of all employees, including senior management, while on board any Tallink Grupp vessel, whether for personal or business purposes," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the union has again demanded that the ship stay under the Swedish flag and not be switched to the Estonian flag, as rumored. Tallink has denied any planned switch, but that hasn't stopped the union from using the incident to push the issue.
"The management must offer its apologies to all employees of Silja and promise in writing that the outrage won't be repeated. The management also must restate its promise that the ship won't start sailing under the Estonian flag. Until now, they have promised this in words only. It is difficult to imagine how passengers would react to a re-flagging, especially in light of the recent incident, which the management has described as a 'normal Silja cruise.' If this kind of Wild West behavior becomes normal at Silja, [competitor] Viking Line will be the only winner," Ruden told Finland's Hufvudstadsbladet daily newspaper.
Mehtonen, who also manages Tallink Finland and Silja Line, said no switchover was being planned.
"Silja will be sailing under either the Finnish or the Swedish flag and is satisfied with this. Thanks to state support, the system's working well now," he said.
The reported drunken debauchery aboard the Silja Symphony is an example of how one should not act in a situation of conflict, the Finnish business daily Kauppalehti reported.
The incident should have been immediately followed by personal apologies to all victimized employees, said Sari-Liia Tonttila, CEO of Helsinki PR firm AC-Sanafor.
As a consequence, the whole shipping line's business has been jeopardized, according to Silja Symphony employees. What's more, there are so many rumors surrounding the incident, it's been difficult to establish the truth.
Business experts say media coverage of the row will force Tallink executives to reconsider their behavior, which, according to Tonttila, was in complete disrespect of company standards.
