Port of Helsinki temporarily dismisses all personnel

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related travel restrictions have heavily impacted the business of the Port of Helsinki.

Because of this, the Port has been forced to start extensive cost reductions, it said in a 19 May statement.

As a part of the reduction plan, the Port of Helsinki Ltd and its employees have agreed that the Port’s personnel will be temporarily dismissed.

The decision was made in the co-operation procedures that ended on 19 May 2020. The personnel of the Port of Helsinki will be dismissed for 30 days between the start of August and the end of the year, and for a maximum of 30 days in early 2021. The management of the Port of Helsinki will also participate in the adjustment measures by waiving their holiday bonuses for 2020.

“We will attempt to arrange the temporary dismissals so that they do not cause inconveniences for our customers or operations,” the Port said in a statement.

In April, the Port reported that cargo traffic operations remained strong however passenger traffic had of course been hit by the restrictions to travel put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The total cargo traffic of the Port of Helsinki Group amounted to 3.3 million tonnes from January to March, which is 6.5% less than in the same quarter in the previous year. More than 70% of the imports via the Port of Helsinki are consumer goods.

During the first quarter of the year, 1.8 million passengers travelled via the Port of Helsinki, which equals 15.4% fewer passengers than at the corresponding time in the previous year.

The Port had previously called upon the government to initiate a stimulus package that will lead to recovery once cross-border restrictions are lifted.

In 2019, a total of 12.2 million passengers travelled through the Port of Helsinki.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/port-of-helsinki-temporarily-dismisses-all-personnel/