Finnair concluded long YT negotiations, efficiency measures continue


Stock Exchange Release   15.1.2009   9.50

Finnair has concluded the statutory employer-employee negotiations under the
act on Co-Determination within Undertakings (YT negotiations) that began in
June.  The goal of the negotiations was to achieve 25 million euros of savings
in personnel expenses, corresponding to around five per cent of total personnel
costs. 

The need for personnel reductions was estimated in the summer at 500 jobs.
Around 120 of these will be implemented as redundancies. The remainder of the
savings will arise mainly through temporary lay-offs. In addition, the number
of Finnair Group personnel will fall through the ending of 400 fixed-term
employment contracts at the turn of the year or during the spring. 

 “As a result of this exceptionally long and thorough process, we managed to
limit the number of redundancies. Lay-offs will be widely applied to the
company's personnel, and they will be arranged so as to minimise disruption to
the flight programme,” explains Finnair's SVP Human Resources Anssi Komulainen. 

The YT negotiations initiated last June covered the whole Group. In September,
a temporary pay cut of five per cent, the cancellation of holiday pay or the
relinquishing of pay rises already agreed were proposed to Finnair's personnel
groups in order to avoid redundancies, but personnel representatives did not
accept these proposals. The YT negotiations process continued during the autumn
in the various units of the Finnair Group. 
 “We have devoted much time to finding genuinely new constructive alternatives
to redundancies. The company's financial situation was revealed to personnel
representatives in detail and they were given the opportunity to give their own
views on the issues.” 

In addition to the over 100 redundancies, more than 3,000 Finnair employees
will be laid off during this year, as a rule for periods of 2-3 weeks. Some of
the employees have participated in the joint cost-cutting measures by
voluntarily giving up their holiday pay. As far as pilots are concerned, the YT
negotiations have been suspended due to ongoing collective employment agreement
negotiations, but YT negotiations will continue in order to reach the target. 

In addition to the above, in Finnair's cargo companies YT negotiations
initiated in November were concluded on Tuesday this week. In the cargo
companies, around 20 jobs will be cut and around 40 employees laid off until
further notice due to a sharp fall in cargo demand and a decline in the volume
of work. Around 20 employees will be transferred to new jobs. In addition,
lay-offs of differing durations are being planned for 300 other cargo employees
during 2009. 

The personnel savings are part of a 50 million euro profitability improvement
programme initiated in the summer. 
 “By these measures we will cut costs by around 20 million euros. But this will
not be enough. Due to further weakened demand and the financial situation we
will continue actively to seek new significant efficiency measures,” says
Komulainen. 

Finnair Plc
Communications 
15.1.2009