I can only assume your Riga correspondent is a member of a union. His story on the teachers' and doctors' strike ("Wages and inflation", #576) was very pro-union, and didn't have much balance from the other side.
As someone who has worked in the heavily unionized nations of Australia and the UK, I can say that it is far more pleasant operating a business here, without the hassles that unions bring. I believe good employers will protect their workers, as I do, and that bad employers will be unable to find workers.
Latvia should be thankful its union force has not interrupted daily life and business operations until now. And these teachers and doctors should realize that what they are asking could cripple the economy.
