Thousands of Norwegians will go out and fly in the next three to four weeks, and maybe you are one of those who think that the strike is hopefully resolved before your trip?
In that case, it depends on the parties finding a common solution.
– It looks completely locked now, the Ombudsman’s office told NTB on Friday.
Aviation analyst and associate professor Espen Andersen at BI Norwegian Business School finds it difficult to predict what will happen.
– But it does not look so good now, as the parties seem quite irreconcilable. Still, I would be surprised if the strike lasted a particularly long time, says Andersen, who says that neither party can afford a very long strike.
– TIME OF CRISIS: Aviation analyst and associate professor Espen Andersen at BI Norwegian Business School believes that the strike comes at the worst possible time for SAS. Photo: Torbjørn Brovold / BI Norwegian Business School
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A little worried
Aviation analyst Hans Jørgen Elnæs in Winair hopes that those who will travel at the end of July and the beginning of August will be able to do so without hindrance. He’s still a little worried about them.
– Both yes and no. This strike costs SAS up to NOK 100 million per day in lost revenue. It is very expensive over time, and the reputation can be damaged forever, says Elnæs, and makes a clearer prediction:
– I think the company is basically solution-oriented, and I think the pilots are too. Then we will see if the parties meet. I will be surprised if it does not happen by the week, says Elnæs.
Friday afternoon reported NRK that the SAS conflict is so serious that they will soon call for a new round of mediation.
– A conflict like this can not last for a long time. It affects a lot of innocent third parties, said mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland to the channel.
– OPTIMISTIC: Aviation analyst Hans Jørgen Elnæs in Winar thinks the parties will meet this week. Photo: Martin Leigland
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This is the conflict
It was Monday this week that 900 SAS pilots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark went on strike after there were a break in the negotiations with the management of the airline.
The parties disagree on employment conditions after SAS established two staffing companies called Link and Connect in the wake of the pandemic.
Every day, between 30,000 and 45,000 passengers are affected by the strike, either because their plane is canceled or delayed.
– NEGOTIATIONS: Very many have planned to fly with SAS to get to their holiday destination. The coming weeks will show how problematic or unproblematic it can be. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY
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Rebook to other companies?
Today, if SAS cancels your trip, the company will cover a trip with another company for a corresponding sum.
It is a solution that aviation analysts believe will be difficult for this summer’s travelers to lean on.
– That solution presupposes that there are actually tickets, and in Norwegian there are almost none left. There are also some who have stopped selling refundable full-price tickets, and you can understand that, says Andersen.
Elnæs in Winair says there will be even fewer tickets when larger parts of Europe really take a holiday around 15 July.
– Then we have to reckon with the fact that most flights are sold out. You also get all those who are rebooked and have to fly via other European airports. All this puts pressure on the parties, and with each passing hour the wall gets closer and closer, says Elnæs.
– SAS: The question now is how long the strike will last. Aircraft analysts TV 2 has spoken to do not think it can last long. Photo: Sergei Grits
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Totally irrelevant
Leader Roger Klokset in the SAS pilots’ association says they are willing to strike for a long time.
He says that it is totally irrelevant to agree to SAS’s demands in the negotiations.
When you strike, you do not get paid by your employer and you are not laid off either. Strikers instead receive contributions from a strike fund that the unions have saved up.
It varies how much you get, but usually 70 percent of the salary.
Klokset does not want to comment on how big their strike fund is and how long it lasts.
– ENDURANCE: Leader Roger Klokset of the SAS pilots’ association says they have the means to strike for a long time. Photo: Martin Leigland / TV 2
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– Has a large strike box
Leader Jan Levi Sogvang of SAS Norway’s Pilots’ Association believes that the strike could last a long time.
– I think this strike can be very long lasting. I believe that SAS has a completely different agenda and that they follow it, says Skogvang.
– What kind of agenda then?
– You have to ask SAS about that. They can obviously afford to strike hundreds of millions of kroner, and in the end they have spent so much money that one can ask: What was it worth? The losses for SAS are higher than what we argued with them about. They can obviously afford a long strike, says Skogvang.
He points out that the pilots can also afford a long strike.
– We have a large strike fund. If it is to be empty, we will have to strike for a long time. The strike fund is not an issue, he says.
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