Finnair warns of A330 pilot cuts as union protests standby duty plan

Finnair is warning that it might have to cut 90 pilots after industrial action threatened Airbus A330 operations undertaken on behalf of Oneworld partner Qantas. The A330s were deployed after the closure of Russian airspace forced Finnair to restructure its network and shift the twinjets – which have limited range – away from the lengthened European-Asian routes. Two of the aircraft are being wet-leased by Qantas for routes from Sydney to Bangkok and Singapore. Finnair says this arrangement enabled it to make “productive use” of the A330s, and offer work to some 90 pilots. But industrial action by the airline workers’ union SLL, it says, is forcing the carrier to consider difficult measures. The action is linked to collective labour negotiations which have been taking place since last year. SLL has been engaged in collective negotiations over various aspects, including wages, for around six months, with industrial action conducted over the last three. “Collective agreement negotiations have been prolonged and for this reason our use of industrial action has also been prolonged,” says SLL chair Vesa Uuspelto. “The employer’s actions have been aggressive from the beginning and, as a small trade union, we have no other means of defending our rights besides our legal industrial action.”<br/>