The Strike Made Finnair the Worst Airline in the World – But the Strike General Doesn’t Care

Finland’s national airline, Finnair, has – at least according to the Germans – become the worst airline in the world. The reason for this is the high number of flight cancellations caused by employee strikes.

I won’t take a stance in this piece on whether the strikes were justified or not, but I would like to draw your attention, dear readers, to what the chairman of the union behind the strikes, Juhani Haapalehto, bluntly stated when asked what he would like to say to the at least one hundred thousand passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the strikes.

Haapalehto said: “It’s not worth it for me to comment one way or another. It would be misunderstood. After all, air passengers are not our customers – our members are.”

His comment has been met with astonishment in Finland. For example, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, Juho Romakkaniemi, wondered how “the union (and apparently its members) seems to have no understanding of who ultimately pays their salaries. It’s sad, all in all.”

Unfortunately, this case reflects a broader trend of Finnish union leaders becoming increasingly detached from the everyday lives of ordinary people and wage earners. Their only apparent goal seems to be preserving their own positions and perks, and – as happens in every election in Finland – funneling union membership fees into the campaign efforts of left-wing parties.

For now, the strikes have ended, but the actual dispute between the unions and Finnair’s management remains unresolved. As a result, the rights of passengers and the future of the airline are likely to hang in the balance once the current agreement expires.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finnair Pilots' Actions Spark Employer Countermove 
Why Can't Finland Find Workforce?
History of Finland XIII: The far-right's rebellion