Solidarity with Finnish aviation workers
April 17, 2015
At the occasion of the ITF Civil Aviation Swissport Working Group Meeting, which was held in London on 14 April, the ITF and ETF families express their solidarity with the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) and the Finnish Cabin Crew Union (SLSY) that are struggling to achieve justice for AirPro workers.
The IAU rightfully argues that AirPro, a Finavia subsidiary providing ground handling and cabin crew services for low-cost airlines, should also be covered Finnish national binding collective agreements.
We have been informed that late Monday the talks were broken down and the IAU called AirPro workers on strike for 14-15 April, from 06:00 to 18:00. The Finnish Cabin Crew Union SLSY has also given a strike warning for the same time period.
The IAU also called its members at Aviator and Swissport to join in the strike in solidarity with AirPro employees.
The ITF and the ETF fully support the IAU’s argument stating that Finavia’s ground handling services for low-cost airlines should also be covered by the general Finnish aviation working contracts.
This is the only way to put a stop to the race to the bottom in ground handling both in Finland and globally. AirPro workers receive 50 percent less than other ground handling workers in Finland and this is simply unacceptable.
The ITF and ETF urge the Association of Service Sector Employers (PALTA), which has been negotiating with the unions for months over contract disputes to reach a just settlement with our Finnish brothers and sisters, instead of accusing them of power-grabbing.
We call upon the Airpo management to find an amicable solution to this industrial dispute. However, should this not be possible, we will call our affiliates to support our Finnish brothers and sisters.
Tags: AirPro, Aviator, Finavia, Finnish Aviation Union, Finnish Cabin Crew Union, IAU, PALTA, SLSY, Social dumping, solidairty, strike, Swissport