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The talks between SAS and the airline's pilots have not reached a solution, and the strike has broken out, the Swedish Pilots' Association tells TT.

During the evening, mediators made a bid for more pilots to be able to influence and oversee a more predictable schedule, as well as receive a 2.3 percent pay increase, in line with the market, the employer said. The union has demanded a 13 percent pay increase.

During the evening, the pilots said no to the offer that the mediators presented to the parties, while the employer said yes.

The strike is now underway, confirms Wilhelm Tersmeden, chairman of the Swedish Pilots' Association's SAS section, to TT in a brief text message.

”"It is deeply unfortunate that this pilot conflict is now affecting our customers. SAS is prepared to continue negotiating, but the demands would have very serious consequences for the company if they were met. The pilot unions have nevertheless chosen conflict," writes Karin Nyman, Director of Communications at SAS in an email.

The head of negotiations for The transport companies' aviation department, Torbjörn Granevärn, thinks that pilots should "take control of their minds.".

”"We would have liked the pilots to have taken greater responsibility in this situation. But the pilots are sticking to their extreme salary demand of 13 percent more despite the already high average salary of 93,000 kronor per month," he says in a statement to TT.

The union calls the figure of 93,000 kronor dishonest and believes that the starting salary for a pilot is 34,000 kronor. According to the union, specifying the average salary is difficult, reports SVT News.

The conflict concerns new collective agreements for the pilots, who, among other things, believe that they have fallen behind their competitors in terms of pay. Both parties have had the opportunity to present their demands to the mediators.

The negotiations involve Swedish as well as Danish and Norwegian pilots. For the Norwegian and Danish pilots, the negotiations are said to continue overtime.

On Thursday evening, SAS announced that 205 flights had been canceled on Friday as a precaution.

Source: TT