Finnair to axe 100 flights as airport dispute unresolved

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish airport service workers will continue work stoppages on Friday after talks on Thursday failed to resolve a dispute over wages and benefits, meaning 100 more flight cancellations for Finnair . Stoppages at service company Airpro in Helsinki airport began last week and may continue next week if no solution is found. Friday's action is due to last from 1300 GMT to 1700 GMT, but it will be magnified by support strikes from workers in other service companies. "Despite serious attempts, there are still no conditions for finding a solution. Differences of opinions are so great," Finnish National Conciliator Minna Helle said in a statement. State-controlled Finnair has cancelled 15 flights so far but will have to shelve a further 100 during Friday's planned stoppage. "Cancellations (on Friday) apply to all of our domestic traffic, to a large share of our European traffic and one long-haul flight," Finnair Chief Operating Officer Jaakko Schildt said in a statement. "The cancellations unfortunately disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Finnair customers." Finnair is not a party to the dispute over labour agreements in Airpro. According to Finnish Aviation Union IAU, Airpro's collective agreement falls short of the benefits that workers in the sector get on average. No strike action is planned over the weekend, but IAU has prepared further strikes for Tuesday and Friday next week and for three days in the following week. (Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Tuomas Forsell; editing by Jason Neely)