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Finnair cancels further flights on Friday UPDATED 14:30 Ground staff return to work
Industrial action by baggage handlers at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has led to piles of cases awaiting their owners

Finnair cancels further flights on Friday <b>UPDATED 14:30 Ground staff return to work</b>
Finnair cancels further flights on Friday <b>UPDATED 14:30 Ground staff return to work</b>
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Finnair has cancelled a number of todayÂ’s flights, as a result of the ongoing protest strike by the airlineÂ’s luggage handlers at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
At least another seven round-trip flights will be cancelled on Friday, while on Thursday the airline called off more than 20 round-trip flights.

The walkout that started on Monday was organised by the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) to protest against the sale of the ground handling services to the human resources company Barona.
Barona bought the luggage handling and terminal level services of FinnairÂ’s ground handling subsidiary Northport at the turn of November and December. In the deal 500 Northport employees were transferred to Barona.
The employees feared that their job security and conditions of employment could be weakened.
Negotiations on the situation between IAU and Barona were interrupted early on Thursday evening. The aim is to resume the talks today - Friday.
IAU Chairman Juhani Haapasaari said that nearly all disagreements had been settled, while the only remaining detail they had not managed to agree upon so far was the employeesÂ’ security against dismissal.
The luggage handlers on strike are demanding a better protection against dismissal.

In the course of the past four days, more than 10,000 pieces of luggage have piled up at the airport, having gone missing from their owners.
On Thursday, Israeli Zvika Weisblat, who was looking for his luggage, had no sympathy for the protest. His luggage had been missing for more than a day, while nobody had any idea where it could be found.
”This is a catastrophe. I want some compensation for this”, Weisblat demanded.
After a long search it was determined that WeisblatÂ’s luggage had been returned to Amsterdam in the hold of the plane that had carried him to Helsinki on Wednesday.
”But now it is on its way back here”, the man said with a little more contentment at the situation.

Finnair advised on Thursday that those passengers whose luggage is delayed should not come to search for their property at the airport, as the delayed luggage will be delivered to the customer.
On Thursday some luggage left behind by the owners was carried abroad while some was delivered to the customers in various parts of Finland.
According to Finnair, it will take several days to deliver all the cases to their owners.


UPDATED 14:30

Baggage handlers at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport are returning to work.
The Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) has submitted a proposal for employers on a resolution to the dispute and will wait until Sunday for a response. Staff will return to their jobs this afternoon (Friday).
The walkout led ultimately to Finnair's cancelling sixteen flights this morning.
Seven of these were flights leaving Helsinki-Vantaa and returning during the same day. Most cancelled flights were in Finnair's domestic traffic.
No information has as yet been made available on possible cancellations in the afternoon.