Strike for flight technicians likely to impact air travel during summer holidays – NRK Westland

At midnight on Thursday, the airline industry has another arbitration deadline.

In recent weeks, several airline strikes have been averted. Among Norwegian pilots on a recent Thursday morning.

Now the Norwegian Aviation Engineers Organization (NFO) and NHO Luftfård (Næringslivet's Main Organisation) sit in a meeting at Riksmekleren.

They need help settling after a breakdown in salary negotiations in May.

If they do not agree to this, the strike will be held from Friday morning.

This weekend also marks the start of summer vacation for many school students across the country.

According to figures from Avinor, 1.8 million passengers will pass through Norway's four largest airports in the next two weeks.

The potential strike will affect maintenance and repairs of aircraft from both SAS, Norwegian and Widerøe.

Aviation expert predicts chaos

NHH Professor Frod Stein believes travelers will soon notice the effects – If there is a weekend strike.

He points out that there are strict requirements for aviation and security. Employers unable to work for striking aircraft technicians

– You can compare it to a car. If a red warning light comes on your dashboard, you might think, “Yeah, I'll just wait and take it to the next service.” But that can't be done in an airplane, he explains, and it has to be placed directly on the ground.

It doesn't help that mediation takes place just before the start of the busy summer season.

– The skills of aviation technicians have already been increased, Stein believes.

At the same time, the economics professor believes that the airlines have few resources and therefore the possible strike will not last long.

Breaking the silence in airlines

The NFO initially announced the resignation of 30 members. Norway has a total of 480 aviation technicians.

For now, airlines don't seem concerned about the chaos at airports.

At Bergen Airport Flesland, six aircraft technicians from Widerøe Technical Services will be out of work from Friday morning if the strike takes place.

– We plan for normal operation. Lina Lindegaard Carlsen, communications consultant at Widerøe, tells NRK that if there are some disruptions in the process, affected passengers will be contacted.

The company requests that passengers meet at the airport as usual unless they or the travel company they ordered their flight ticket tells otherwise.

Joachim Sponheim, press manager at SAS, writes in a text message that the strike will have a limited impact on air traffic.

Norwegian has told NTB that it is too early to say anything about possible outcomes.

Ombudsman Mats Wilhelm Ruland is an optimist.

– We are not yet at the finish line, which is completely normal at this time of the day. He writes an SMS to NRK that I am in good spirits, so we will keep a close eye on the end of the standing deadline.

steep edges between parties

A relatively small gap has been reported between the parties since May's salary negotiations.

However, the distance must be greater when it comes to questions of work and retirement arrangements for technicians.

Aviation technicians last went on strike in the summer of 2022.

NHO Luftwaffe is resuming an operation from that time, and has announced the termination of positions in the Air Ambulance Service. locking.

On Monday, the NFO came out strongly against this. They call it an attempt at “union-busting,” where the employers' organization forces a forced wage board at the expense of life and health.

The NFO said in a press release that air ambulance technicians were not initially part of the strike precisely to prevent lives and health from being put at risk.

The parties declined to comment on the matter to NRK on Thursday while the mediation is ongoing.

NHO Luftfart specifies Their answers to Dagbladet Before the commencement of mediation. There they deny that air ambulance technicians were not part of the original strike or that going into lockout was unusual.