A Neste tanker carrying jet fuel near Helsinki Airport in Vantaa on Monday, 11 March 2024. Helsingin Sanomat on Monday revealed that Finnair plans to make refuelling stops on its long-haul flights due to concerns about the availability of jet fuel amid a series of political strikes affecting fuel distribution, among other things. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)
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FINNAIR has decided to fuel many of its aircraft overseas due to the political strikes that began in Finland on Monday, reveals Helsingin Sanomat.
A protest against a series of government proposals on labour market reforms by the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the two-week strikes are expected to cause widespread disruptions in cargo handling at ports, rail freight transport and process industries.
Mia Eloranta, the director of communications at Finnair, told Helsingin Sanomat on Monday that the majority state-owned airline will re-fuel aircraft operating on continental routes in the destination countries.
“This is an attempt to save fuel in Helsinki,” she added.
Long-haul flights operated by the airline, in turn, will make additional re-fuelling stops at airports in Europe. Eloranta estimated that the stops will increase flight times by roughly an hour.
“Today we’ll start testing and exploring where the layovers can be made,” she said to the newspaper.
Staged by the Finnish Industrial Union, the Finnish Transport Workers’ Union (AKT), the Finnish Electrical Workers’ Union, the Finnish Construction Trade Union, Service Union United (PAM) and the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), the strikes are targeted at, for example, the distribution centres of Neste in Naantali and Porvoo.
The Industrial Union gauged last week that the strikes could cause fuel shortages at airports and service stations, an estimate that has been rejected by experts and the National Emergency Supply Agency.
The agency has instead estimated that “local disruptions” may occur in fuel distribution.
Neste on Friday announced it has reached an agreement with trade unions on the extent of work to be performed during the strike at its oil refinery in Porvoo. While the agreement ensures it does not have to suspend production at the facility, it does not guarantee that there will be no disruptions in fuel supply.
Some of the participating trade unions have announced their readiness to extend the strikes by another two weeks, until 7 April.
YLE: Pulp and paper mills shut down
Although the Paperworkers’ Union is not participating in the strikes, a number of forest industry companies announced yesterday they will shut down production facilities due to disruptions in transport services.
Jyrki Hollmén, the head of labour market affairs at UPM, told YLE that the company will suspend the payment of wages for the duration of the strike effective immediately.
“Our interpretation is that there’s an interdependency, as defined in the employment contracts act, between the strikes and employees who’re left without work because of the strikes. The employer therefore doesn’t have the obligation to pay wage to employees who’re left without work due to the strikes,” he messaged to the public broadcasting company.
Petri Vanhala, the chairperson of the Paperworkers’ Union, stated to the public broadcasting company that the union disagrees with the interpretation and will likely to challenge it in court.
“The obligation to pay wage has previously been seven days whenever a factory is shut down due to industrial action, industrial action [by another union] or another reason. But UPM has announced it won’t adhere to that,” he said. “The case will take longer in court, but it’ll provide clarity on whether the company is right or wrong.”
“Our interpretation is that it’s wrong.”
Closures of production facilities are likely to occur also in the technology industry, Minna Helle, an executive director at the Technology Industries of Finland, stated on YLE A-studio on Monday.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
- Next Article Strike paralyzes Finnish ports: A look at the widespread impact
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
