SAS and pilot unions resume talks as crippling strike enters 10th day
By Helena Soderpalm
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Scandinavian airline SAS and unions representing putting pilots resumed talks over a brand new collective bargaining settlement on Wednesday because the walkout entered its tenth day.
The 75-year previous airline was struggling even earlier than the pandemic hit in 2020 as a consequence of excessive prices and rising competitors from low-cost carriers.
The pilots strike, which began in July 4, is now costing it $10 million to $13 million a day and has compelled it to cancel extra 1,200 flights on the peak of the summer season journey season.
The service, whose predominant house owners are the governments of Sweden and Denmark with stakes of twenty-two% every, on Wednesday cancelled 242 flights, or 75% of these scheduled, in keeping with FlightAware.
“We hope that we will clear up this and that we will finish this strike. That’s the reason we’re right here,” Roger Klokset, from the union representing SAS’ Norwegian pilots, advised reporters as he arrived for the mediator-led negotiations in Stockholm.
Loss-making SAS final week filed for U.S. chapter safety looking for respiration area to restructure its enterprise, saying the strike had hastened the submitting. [nL1N2YM09P]
The Swedish pilot union mentioned final week their newest bid included pilots taking a 5% pay reduce, working extra hours per week, working part-time in winter with a lowered wage and foregoing summer season trip.
Unions are additionally demanding that pilots dismissed in the course of the pandemic are rehired at SAS Scandinavia, slightly than having to compete with exterior candidates for jobs at newly began SAS Hyperlink and Eire-based SAS Join.
Along with affecting a whole lot of 1000’s of travellers, the strike can be placing stress on Northern Norway’s well being system as workers haven’t been in a position to fly in on time for some surgical procedures.
Norwegian authorities can cease a strike in the event that they consider it might probably pose an acute hazard to life and well being. On Tuesday, they mentioned the strike didn’t pose such a threat.
SAS shares have been up 11% in mid-day commerce.
(Reporting by Helena Soderpalm, extra reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo and Jamie Freed in Sydney, writing by Anna Ringstrom, enhancing by Stine Jacobsen and Jason Neely)
