A threatened strike by flight attendants of three Finnish airlines was averted when the employers’ side and the Finnish Cabin Crew Union (SLSY) agreed to a mediation proposal submitted by National Conciliator Juhani Salonius on Wednesday.
The dispute had threatened to ground flights of Finnair, Air Finland and Blue1 as of Saturday morning, right in the middle of the Easter holiday.
The mediation proposal won the unanimous backing of the management side, while the union had to vote on it.
The settlement is the first binding contract covering flight attendants of all three airlines. However, the new contract still gives the individual companies room for some flexibility, and Finnair flight attendants will continue to earn more than those of other two airlines.
The key issue in the dispute was staff opposition to employers’ plans to increase the flight attendants’ working hours. The management side backed down on the issue, and only slight changes were made to working hours and rest periods.
