The Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT) and the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) have announced plans to hold a two-hour political strike when Finnair is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting on Thursday afternoon.
According to the unions, the political strike is aimed at the state's ownership steering policy.
The AKT said it disapproved of plans to increase the remuneration of Finnair board members. The airline is majority-owed by the Finnish state, and there are plans to increase payments for board members and its chair by around 30 to 45 percent over a two-year period.
Finnair has scheduled its annual general meeting on Thursday 27 March at 3 pm in Vantaa. The unions are planning their two-hour political strike at the same time.
Airline cancels dozens of flights
Finnair announced on Tuesday that it was cancelling around 70 flights due to Thursday's political strike. The airline said the cancellations would affect about 6,500 customers.
Finnair's Chief Operating Officer, Jaakko Schildt, called the union's plans disproportionate to the situation.
"We are doing everything we can to offer suitable reroutes for everyone," Schildt said in a company statement on Tuesday.
Collective bargaining talks
Finnair has been in tough collective bargaining negotiations with its pilots for more than half a year. The talks have included mediation from the National Conciliator's office and also resulted in industrial actions and overtime bans, among other things.
Finnair's Q4 results were better than expected, but the airline said at the time the pilots' industrial actions had hurt their bottom line.
The employers' group Palta has suggested that Thursday's planned two-hour political strike was motivated by unions wanting to speed up the ongoing negotiations.
According to Finland's biggest welfare sector trade union, JHL, the primary goal of political strikes is not to affect collective agreements or employers, but rather a way to pursue political or societal goals.
