As arbitration talks between aviation industry representatives, cabin crew representatives and management continued on Thursday, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen spoke out in Parliament during question period and said that he sincerely hoped industrial strike action could be avoided.
"Industrial action in the form of a wide-ranging strike is the last thing that this country needs right now," he said. "It would be a very unfortunate situation, and it would bring the country to its knees economically."
The PM's appeal came on the heels of the announcement by the Transport Union that it would support aviation union workers and cabin crew starting next Tuesday by suspending cargo handling. The Finnish Food Workers' Union and Trade Union Pro, the largest private sector union for clerical employees, both also announced Thursday that they would organise supporting strike action as of next Tuesday if the Finnair situation is not resolved.