SAS mediation continues in overtime – E24
The parties are still far apart in the mediation between SAS and the pilots. New deadline is set for 11 o’clock Saturday morning.
STOCKHOLM (E24): The SAS pilots’ mediation with the company about this year’s wage negotiations continues beyond the deadline at midnight.
– We are far apart but we think this is so important for our passengers that we are willing to try overtime, says chief negotiator Marianne Hernæs in SAS.
The parties have decided to set a new first at 11 o’clock on Saturday morning, confirms SAS’s press manager Karin Nyman. Earlier in the evening, the deadline was set for 5 p.m.
– Do you think you will be the only one?
– I can not answer that now.
The negotiations have taken place in Næringslivets hus in Stockholm. Around 9 pm, Norway’s national mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland came out of the negotiations to give an update to the press.
“We have no clarification,” said Ruland.
– It is working hectically to find a solution, but it is not solved yet, he added.
The parties had originally on Wednesday, but postponed the deadline for three days.
– It has been movement. The parties have come somewhat closer. But there is still a lot left, Ruland stated.
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Can hit many departures
If SAS does not agree with the pilots, 900 pilots could go on strike. Then a number of flights from Norway and abroad will probably be canceled (see overview below).
Among other things, the pilot strike will probably lead to half of the SAS flights from Gardermoen being canceled on Saturday, while 70 percent of the departures on Sunday will probably be canceled, according to E24’s review of SAS’s websites.
On Friday afternoon, E24 met Sander Kristoffersen and Markus Føyne at Gardermoen. They were going on a weekend trip to London with SAS, but were not worried that returning could be in danger.
– It’s not really much stress, since I have a holiday next week I have time to wait, Kristoffersen said.
The last time the SAS pilots went on strike was three years ago. At that time, the pilots went on strike for one week.
– It does not do much. We will probably come home eventually, says Markus Føyne.
– Does not characterize the negotiations
It has been hard between the parties after a VG proposal from the leader Roger Klokset in the Norwegian SAS pilots’ association on Thursday that the pilots may be willing to SAS go bankrupt has attracted attention.
– If the company does not manage to relate to the Scandinavian models, we believe that it is an actor who does not have the right to life, Klokset told VG.
– The message that they are willing to file SAS bankruptcy if they do not get what they want is both inconceivable and irresponsible, regardless of the company’s situation, says press manager Tonje Bjerve Sund in SAS Norway to E24 Friday night.
However, the Ombudsman believes that the proposals did not characterize the negotiations on Friday.
– These are serious, skilled parties who work well and constructively, and it does not characterize the negotiations with statements in the media, says Ruland.
Midnight which is our deadline
The Ombudsman says that it is not a tradition in Denmark and Sweden to sit beyond negotiation deadlines, as is often the case in Norway. Nevertheless, it will now be five hours of overtime night to Saturday.
It has been a long day for the Norwegian national mediator this week.
– How are your coffee consumption?
– Good question, it’s probably loud. I think no one inside her had gone through a doping test well, Ruland told E24 on Friday night.
The Ombudsman is also informed that he has gone to buy some clothes, as the negotiation deadline was extended and he had to stay a few days extra in Stockholm.
– I have had to buy several clean shirts, he said.
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Many departures can be canceled
A strike will probably mean that a number of departures this weekend as flights by SAS itself will be canceled. It shows the overview of the airline own websites Friday:
- On Saturday, 33 of the 66 scheduled SAS flights from Gardermoen will probably be canceled in the event of a strike. On Sunday, 75 of 108 planned SAS departures from Gardermoen will probably be canceled
- From Bergen Airport Flesland, 6 of 13 SAS departures will probably be canceled on Saturday, while 8 of 20 departures will probably be canceled on Sunday
- From Trondheim, 4 out of 10 scheduled SAS departures will probably be canceled on Saturday, while 10 out of 18 scheduled SAS departures will probably be canceled on Sunday
- One SAS departure from Tromsø on Saturday and all 9 SAS departures from Tromsø on Sunday will probably be canceled
- One of three SAS departures from Kristiansand on Saturday (one departure has also been canceled), while 2 of 3 departures from Kristiansand on Sunday will probably be canceled
- 1 of 2 SAS departures from Ålesund will probably be canceled on Saturday (the other has been canceled), and 2 of three departures from Ålesund on Sunday will probably be canceled
The SAS departures that are expected as planned are those that are flown by companies other than SAS. These include Lufthansa, Cityjet, Swiss Air, Austrian Airlines, Air Baltic and the SAS subsidiary SAS Connect.
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Canceled departures from abroad
Several SAS departures from abroad are also expected to be canceled this weekend, according to the company:
- 5 out of 8 scheduled departures from Alicante in Spain on Saturday and 5 out of 8 scheduled departures from Alicante on Sunday are set to be canceled in the event of a strike, according to SAS
- The SAS departures from London this weekend will initially fly as planned. These operated the majority of the SAS subsidiary SAS Connect
- All departures from Copenhagen to Oslo will probably be canceled on Saturday and Sunday, while just one departure from Copenhagen to Bergen this weekend will be canceled
- 2 of 4 SAS departures from Stockholm to Oslo on Saturday will probably be canceled, while only 1 of 4 departures from Stockholm to Oslo on Sunday are expected to be canceled. Flights from Stockholm to Bergen this weekend are expected to go as planned
- 2 of 2 departures from Nice to Oslo on Saturday are expected to be canceled and 2 of 2 departures from Nice to Oslo on Sunday are also expected to be canceled
- SAS’s one departure from Schiphol in Amsterdam to Oslo on Sunday is expected to fly as planned
- SAS’s one departure from Brussels to Oslo on Sunday is expected to fly as planned
- 1 of 2 flights from Malaga to Oslo on Saturday are expected to be canceled. On Sunday, 1 of 2 flights from Malaga to Oslo are also expected to be canceled
- A SAS flight from Gran Canaria to Oslo on Saturday is expected to be canceled
- All SAS flights from Frankfurt to Oslo and Bergen are expected to depart as usual this weekend, these flights are operated by Lufthansa
- A SAS departure from New York to Oslo will probably be canceled on Saturday, also a departure on Sunday is expected to be canceled