The pilots and SAS have reached an agreement on new collective bargaining agreements that extend over five and a half years, SAS and the pilot unions confirm.
This means the strike is ending.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, it is clear that the parties are now in agreement.
”"The pilots have secured important breakthroughs. 450 pilots who were laid off during the corona pandemic have been guaranteed re-employment and the pilot associations' collective agreements will also apply to the new companies SAS Connect and SAS Link," writes the pilot association SAS Pilot Group (SPG) in a press release.
The airline is also pleased that the strike has been called off.
”"I am pleased that we have now reached an agreement with all four pilot unions in SAS Scandinavia and that the strike has ended. Finally, we can resume regular operations and fly our customers on their long-awaited summer holidays. I deeply regret that so many of our passengers have been affected by this strike," says Anko van der Werff, President and CEO, in a press release.
According to SAS, the flight stoppage has resulted in losses of between SEK 100-130 million per day and affected up to 30,000 passengers every single day.
The announcement of the agreement comes after SAS issued conflicting statements on Monday evening. At 9 p.m., the company's chairman, Carsten Dilling, stated that the parties had reached an agreement.
This was denied a short time later by SAS's head of communications Karin Nyman, who said that no new agreement had been agreed upon.
For SAS, the negotiations were a race against time – the company's negotiation leader Marianne Hernæs stated early on Monday that they would close down if the parties did not reach an agreement within the next 24 hours.
Negotiations between the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish pilot unions and SAS management have been ongoing since November last year, but the parties have not been able to reach an agreement. The pilots' old collective agreement expired at the end of March.
On June 9, the pilot unions submitted their strike notice to the Swedish Mediation Institute. The mediation has been ongoing since June 13, but was interrupted on July 4 when the SAS pilots announced that they would go on strike with immediate effect.
The industry and employer organization Transportföretagen confirms and welcomes that a new agreement has now been reached between the parties.
”"The fact that the parties have now reached an agreement is a good thing, it means the end of a conflict that has not been positive for anyone involved," says Marcus Dahlsten, CEO of the Swedish Transport Companies and the Swedish Aviation Industry.
He continues by stating;
”"It is now of utmost importance that SAS is given the opportunity to focus on continuing the reconstruction required after the pandemic and that a strong SAS is an important component of both Swedish society and the Swedish business community."”
Source: TT-DI.SE
