Commercial flights to and from almost all Finnish airports are set to grind to a halt on the first two days of February, as airport workers will join a nationwide political strike calling on the government to reverse its planned labour market reforms.
The Trade Union For The Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), which represents about 12,000 employees of Finavia and Airpro, announced on Friday afternoon that the two-day walkout will begin on Thursday 1 February.
In addition to JHL, the service sector union PAM, the Finnish Aviation Union IAU, the Finnish Transport Workers' Union AKT and the Finnish airline pilots' association SLL are also participating in the industrial action.
In a press release published on Friday, the JHL union noted that the strike will affect the operations of all Finavia airports, with the exception of the Halli airport in Jämsä, Central Finland, and Utti, near Kouvola, which do not offer scheduled flights or passenger air services.
This means that the walkout will impact all major Finnish airports for a period of 48 hours.
"We cannot stand idly by while our members are deprived of the means to defend decent working conditions," JHL vice president Håkan Ekström wrote in the press release.
However, JHL noted that the action will not affect any tasks which, if left undone, would endanger people's lives, health or property.
The union's press release further emphasised that the walkout is part of a political strike that is not directed against employers, but because PM Petteri Orpo's (NCP) government is "still pushing for tough cuts for workers".
Finnair: 60,000 customers may be affected
In a press release, national airline Finnair said that the strike will have a "significant impact" on its operations, and will result in flights being cancelled.
"Finnair has approximately 60,000 customers on 1-2 February whose travel plans may be affected by the strike," the press release stated.
The airline has not yet made any changes to its schedules for the strike dates, but has offered customers the opportunity to change their flight.
"It is clear that the strike will cause flight cancellations, and we hope that as many customers as possible will find a suitable replacement flight well in advance and thus can avoid uncertainty in their travel plans," Finnair's Vice President of Operations Control Jari Paajanen, wrote in the press statement.
A day of strikes and demonstrations
This latest round of strikes and demonstrations against the government's planned reforms of labour market laws is being driven by two of Finland's largest trade union federations, SAK and STTK — which announced its plans earlier this week.
The country's other main unions have since jumped on board, with the Industrial Union announcing on Thursday that 60,000 of its members at 700 locations across the country will walk off their jobs on 1 February.
Service sector union PAM revealed on Wednesday that it too was joining the political strike at the beginning of February.
Earlier on Friday, the Early Childhood Education Teacher's Union warned that many daycare centres across the country will be closed on 1 February, as its members will also be joining the walkout.
22.1: Clarified details about smaller airports.
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