The conflict between SAS pilots and the airline is in its second week. 30,000 to 45,000 passengers are affected every day.
The strike is now also having consequences for health services in northern Norway.
Health trusts have reported Difficulty recruiting key personnel in time. In addition, Nordland Hospital obliges itself To postpone activities.
Challenges An emergency meeting was held on Monday between Troms and state administrator Hels Nord in Finnmark, the district medical officer and the Norwegian Health Supervisory Board.
The former describes the situation thus Very serious.
– Severe consequences
Alexander Sonderland Skjanberg, associate professor of law and management at BI, said it was surprising that we were approaching the second week of the strike.
– I thought it would last a week at most. Now it’s starting to have more serious consequences, because it seems so stuck. Almost uncharacteristically locked.
Complexity: Skjønberg points to a complicating factor if the conflict ends with a mandatory wage board. Photo: Kyrre Lien
He says it will be exciting to follow the parties in the coming hours and days. But whether the situation in the North leads to a mandatory wage council, he thinks, is hard to say.
– It asks which activities should be postponed. Where life and health are at risk, the situation will be met. If there were non-life-threatening surgeries, it wouldn’t happen, he says.
He adds that if the conflict exceeds emergency preparedness, the government will at least intervene quickly.
– In the short run, it goes beyond non-urgent activities. Then it will not be a problem and will not be a basis for intervention.
Suitable for Norwegian pilots only
Schjenberg points to a complicating factor. That means they can only intervene to resolve the dispute within the Norwegian Pilot Association.
– They have no authority to intervene in Sweden and Denmark. Then comes the deal. It can therefore be assumed that a new contract will be established for the Norwegian part of the company.
Intervention in a specific area of conflict is even more unusual, he says.
At the same time, it becomes difficult to resolve conflict in the payroll board because many difficult issues in conflict affect the SAS system, Skjønberg explains.
– If life or health is at risk, the authorities don’t have much choice, says Skjanberg.
During the SAS strike, unions in the three Nordic countries have united behind common demands. But ending the Norwegian part of the strike is entirely possible, says FAFO researcher Christine Nergaard.
– Yes, it is. Nergaard tells NTB that the meeting is a warning to the parties that it will flash red.
Impact: 30,000 to 45,000 commuters are affected daily due to the strike. Photo: Martin Lakeland / TV2
Sweden and Denmark have no tradition
Sweden does not have a tradition of using a compulsory wage board. In Denmark, this tool is used, but to a much lesser extent than in Norway, according to the Working Life Analyst.
This would allow the strike to continue in Sweden and Denmark while ending in Norway.
It is difficult to see how this will affect air traffic in practice. Nergaard believes this could put additional pressure on parties in Sweden and Denmark.
– It can take some of the hustle out of the strike. If it ends up in Norway, SAS won’t lose much money. But he says it would still be a costly confrontation.
If the forced wage board ends, the pilots will end the strike and return to work. Disputes will go to the National Pay Board for further consideration.
According to the working life analyst, neither the pilots nor the SAS showed much interest in such a decision.
– It’s dangerous for them. People who want to change a collective agreement may not be interested in a mandatory wage board because the national wage board is often conservative, Nergaard says.
– The situation demands
– More difficult than others
The tribunal will as a rule be based on existing contracts. But in this scenario, both employer and employee want changes, he points out.
It will be extra difficult as it is based on a joint agreement covering the operations of the three countries.
The National Wage Board wants to see what agreements are in place in Sweden and Denmark. That is, where they land in this conflict.
– It will be a complex case for the National Pay Board if it comes to their table. One case is more difficult than others, Nergaard says.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
