Flight attendants at Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) are threatening to go out on strike later this week, if their demands for better pay and working conditions aren’t met. The airline and the flight attendants’ union were heading into mediation on Wednesday.
“It’s no secret that this is about pay,” union leader Martinus Røkkum told news bureau NTB. He claimed SAS, which has been emerging from a lengthy bankruptcy process, pays its flight attendants 15- to 30 percent less than rival Norwegian Air, and that flight attendants “really haven’t had a raise for 12 years.”
Grievances also include long workdays, few breaks and highly unpredictable work schedules. When flights are delayed, flight attendants often end up working a 60-hour week, Røkkum told NTB.
If mediation fails to result in a settlement, strike action will begin Friday morning August 23. As many as 240 flight attendants may walk off the job from Saturday.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
