All signs point to a turbulent start to February, with a major strike planned for the Finnish aviation industry.
Starting February 1, a significant number of airport workers will take part in a nationwide political strike. The action is a protest against the government’s proposed labor market reforms and will mainly affect Finland’s main airports over two days.
Impact of strikes on airports
The Public Welfare Sector Union (JHL), which represents approximately 12,000 Finavia and Airpro employees, has declared a strike to begin on Thursday, February 1st.
Besides JHL, other trade unions are expected to take part in the industrial action, including PAM, the Finnish Airlines Union IAU, the Finnish Transport Workers Union AKT and the Finnish Airlines Pilots Association SLL.
All major Finabia airports will be suspended except for the smaller airports of Hari and Utti. This measure will have a noticeable impact on Finnish air travel for 48 hours.
“We cannot stand by and watch our members be deprived of the means to maintain decent working conditions,” said JHL Vice President Hakan Ekström. However, operations critical to safety and health are not affected by the strike.
Finnair prepares for impact
National carrier Finnair is predicting significant operational challenges, with a large number of flights expected to be cancelled. Around 60,000 customers could face disruptions from February 1st to 2nd.
Jari Pajanen, Finnair’s vice president of operations management, said: “It is clear that strikes will result in flight cancellations and we hope that as many of our customers as possible can find suitable alternatives well in advance to avoid the uncertainty of their travels. I hope we can avoid this.” schedule. ‘
Wider union involvement
This latest series of strikes and protests against the government’s labor market reforms is led by two of Finland’s largest trade union federations, SAK and STTK.
The industry union also announced that 60,000 of its members in 700 locations will go on strike on February 1st. The services sector union PAM confirmed its participation, and the early childhood teachers’ union warned of possible nursery school closures due to a strike.
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