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Layoffs in Oulu Airport Crew: Age Discrimination, Claim Workers |
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By 65DN
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Friday, 31 July 2009 |
RTG Ground Handling Oy, which supplies loading and customer services to Finnair at Oulu International Airport–and to airlines at 14 other Finnish airports–has laid off its four oldest Oulu employees to cries of ‘discrimination’ from inside and outside the firm.
The four senior workers were made redundant after staff reduction negotiations that began at the beginning of July.
RTG’s union trustee Ari Kääräinen said he saw ‘clear signs of age discrimination’ in the dismissals. Area representative Rami Aura concurred.
“It looks like they wanted the oldest workers out,” Aura declared, in a statement to the press. “One can only guess as to the reasons.”
According to Risto Mäntykangas, RTG CEO, the decision was made in the ‘best interests’ of the company. “We were in a situation in which we wanted to avoid unnecessary lay-offs,” he commented, in a statement to Kaleva. “Every member of staff is important, but you have to make decisions at some point. The older workers have the opportunity to join the unemployment line and possibly retire by that route at some point,” he argued.
“The only other option would have been to make almost everyone in customer services part-time,” he continued.
Union trustee Kääräinen saw events differently. “Some are going to end up registered as unemployed for as much as three years; they’re certainly not going to find employment after that.”
According to Finnish law, discrimination in the workplace is illegal and employees have the right to the protection provided for in law and in the relative collective service agreement. At the moment, no charges have been filed by the RTG ex-employees, though two have ‘expressed a desire to sue.’
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