Another Baggage Handlers’ Walkout in Helsinki
Another walkout by baggage handlers at Helsinki Airport began on Monday evening. The job action initially involved 20 employees of ISS Aviation, which handles luggage for Blue1, Lufthansa, SAS and other airlines.
It is expected to last until 9 am Tuesday.
Carriers using the airport’s Terminal 1 said they would try to stick to their normal flight schedules despite the walkout. However, delays in departures and baggage claims are possible.
Kristiina Björkman, deputy shop steward at ISS Aviation, says the walkout relates to an outsourcing deal that ISS Aviation signed in late November with ADI Oy.
The first ADI employees began work on Monday. Björkman says they have been given more hours than was agreed, which spurred the walkout.
The airport operator Finavia said that departing passengers should arrive at the airport as usual. It notes that departure and arrival times can be checked in real time on its website, finavia.fi.
In December, Finnair sold its baggage handling operations to the human resources firm Barona despite objections by employees and their union. This sparked a walkout and caused a mountain of luggage to accumulate at the airport.
The airline says the four-day walkout cost it around seven million euros.
YLE
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