Aircraft technicians went on strike last Saturday and the parties have not yet agreed. On Friday afternoon, negotiations broke down. NHO has announced a lockout from night to Sunday if NHO and NFO do not come to a solution in their conflict which, among other things, is about the salary of aircraft technicians. Lockout means that workers are excluded from work, and is the employer’s tool for forcing a solution. It is a means of pressure in the same way as the workers’ strike. A possible lockout will also prevent the aircraft technicians in Babcock, the company that works with the ambulance aircraft in Norway, from going to work. NFO has previously applied for a dispensation for the aircraft technicians who work with the ambulance aircraft, but they are waiting for an answer. One consequence may be a lack of preparedness in the ambulance flight service. This means that Luftambulansen is now investigating the possibility of entering into agreements with other external companies to keep the air ambulance service going during a possible lockout. – We have started investigations of what we can put in from other ambulance aircraft resources from commercial operators to cover the hole in our preparedness if we should experience it, says CEO of the Air Ambulance Service, Øyvind Juell, to news. It was TV 2 that first mentioned the case. The air ambulance service is not part of the conflict between employee and employer and they therefore have the opportunity to enter into agreements with an external company that is not affected by the strike. Checking the possibilities He says that they do not hire companies now, but have started a dialogue to be prepared. – We will provide a defined emergency preparedness for ambulance aircraft. There are other means of transport for patients out there, but we must try to maintain as good a preparedness as possible, Juell tells news. – If the planes from Babcock are put on the ground and do not have the opportunity to fly, we must find out if we have the opportunity to invest other resources, Juell explains. The air ambulance service has a dialogue with companies in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. – These are companies we have collaborated with before. It is Babcock’s own sister company in Sweden, AirWing in Oslo, SmuuthCare in Denmark that we first and foremost have contact with. Can last for 72 hours When any agreements with new companies enter into force, Juell will not speculate in above news. – It is an open question so far. So far, Babcock has been on normal alert and that’s the most important thing of all. Juell tells news that he assumes normal operation also in the next few days. – Lockdown has been announced from night to Sunday, but a lockdown will not put the planes on the ground immediately. It will take some time before that happens. It can take up to 72 hours, says Juell. This is because the air ambulances will be checked by flight technicians before the lockout takes effect and will not need to be checked at any time.
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The air ambulance service looks at collaboration opportunities with other companies – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
