Norwegian Pilots Pink-Slipped During COVID-19 Pandemic Take SAS Airline to Labour Court

During the COVID-19 pandemic that led to massive lockdowns in large parts of the world and grounded hundreds of flights, the heavily hit Nordic flag-carrier SAS had to sack 5,000 employees - or 40 percent of its workforce - and received substantial government assistance to stay adrift.

The Norwegian SAS Pilots' Union is taking the pan-Scandinavian SAS airline to the Labor Court over what they believe are illegal violations of working life regulations.

Roger Klokset of the Norwegian SAS Pilots' Union confirmed this to national broadcaster NRK.

The pilots’ association demands that some 560 pilots who were laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic get their jobs back.

“Everyone got a deal about re-employment, but SAS has circumvented the provisions of working life to avoid this,” the Norwegian SAS Pilots' Union wrote in a press release.

SAS has said that pilots who were laid off as a result of the pandemic must apply to get their job back through new subsidiaries.

“SAS broke the agreements with the pilots, and the measures they are trying to take are, in our view, serious and illegal. SAS challenges modern and decent working life in a way that is unparalleled in Scandinavia,” Klokset stated.

The Norwegian Pilots’ Association received full support from the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), which believes the matter sets an important precedent.

“The LO does not accept SAS' attempts to organise itself away from previous agreements and basic labour rights. This case is principally important for all employees in Norway, and we look forward to having it tried in court,” LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik said in a press release.

Plans to file a lawsuit were discussed as early as February, although SAS has repeatedly denied having breached any agreements by establishing new subsidiaries.

“SAS is of the opinion that we relate to and act according to all agreements entered into. The pilots have long warned that they disagree with this, and it is natural that the issues receive a legal clarification,” SAS press manager John Eckhoff said in a statement.

Previously, the airline's reorganisation, which includes a renegotiation of collective agreements and may result in laid-off staff being re-employed on less favourable terms, was castigated by Canada's largest trade union, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLS), which initiated a national boycott of SAS.

The pan-Scandinavian flag carrier SAS is co-owned by the Swedish and Danish governments at 21.8 percent apiece. Before the pandemic, SAS operated 180 aircraft to 90 destinations. Its main hubs include Copenhagen Kastrup, Stockholm Arlanda, and Oslo Gardermoen.

During the pandemic, however, hundreds of flights were grounded, plunging the business into the doldrums. Altogether, SAS pink-slipped 5,000 employees, or 40 percent of its workforce, and received a series of substantial tranches from its shareholders, including the Nordic governments, to stay afloat.

Nevertheless, a forecast by the Norwegian bank DNB earlier this year claimed that the Nordic flag carrier was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.