It is very unusual for Norwegians to see bosses scolding their employees in public. In a labor dispute, such behavior is particularly distant from the rules of the game in Norwegian working life and the culture that tends to prevail between employees and management. Nevertheless, it was precisely an insult that the SAS chief could contribute when it became clear that the pilots went on strike from Monday. Characteristics such as selfish, shameful, shocking and ruthless behavior were set loose by CEO Anko van der Werff. At the same time, the headlines are marked by disappointed families who are not allowed to travel on the dream trip and people who are in tears over not being allowed to visit close family members. It is easy to understand that SAS wants to shirk responsibility for not being able to deliver what people have paid for. Sowing divisions between workers and consumers is a well-known strategy in this respect. But the SAS boss forgets that most people are both. The conflict in SAS is not about a simple disagreement about whether the wage supplement should be 3.5 or 3.7 per cent. On the contrary, SAS employees have on several occasions accepted pay cuts, most recently to help save the company during the pandemic. Also in this round, the pilots have been willing to accept measures that contribute with significant savings. The conflict in SAS, on the other hand, is due to very specific breaches of promise on the part of the company. The SAS management’s strategy is a clear break with a working life based on mutual respect and common ground rules, writes Andreas C. Halse. Photo: The think tank Agenda During the pandemic, a number of pilots were laid off with promises to get their jobs back at a later date. Instead of keeping this promise, SAS has chosen to hire new pilots through subsidiaries, which act as staffing companies. It is part of history that these appointments take place on worse terms. In plain language, this means that former permanent pilots risk being employed in a subsidiary, and then hired back to their old employer on worse terms and lower wages than before. And without any negotiation or co-determination. This is a clear break with a working life based on mutual respect and common ground rules. It is also a maneuver that in reality would have been impossible for the pilots’ union in SAS to accept. To accept such a development would be to undermine the very basis of an organized working life and employees’ right to co-determination and influence over their own workplace. Thus, the SAS pilots would accept to be put on the sidelines also in future conflicts and restructurings, and be constantly at the mercy of new dictates from SAS. It would of course be catastrophic for the pilots in SAS, but could also have major consequences for other employees in Norway. If SAS succeeds in displacing permanent employees in favor of hired labor, it could have a significant contagion effect. There is no reason to believe that other industries will not try the same. The Nordic working life model has never been about charity and alms from business owners. The model is based on an agreement structure that springs from a strong and well-organized employee side. If the strength of the employee side disappears, the basis for the Nordic model will also disappear. Although the model works well, and often peacefully, on a daily basis it happens that it is put to the test. What is happening in SAS right now is such a test. The test is whether it will now be easier to get rid of employees, replace with hired ones, go back to clear agreements and unilaterally lower the standard for employees’ conditions. If there is a new norm in working life, it does not help if the planes start to go again, or if the consumer rights in the event of cancellations are never so strong. The consequence will be that many fewer of us can afford to fly at all. Therefore, it is important to stand up against the SAS chief’s attack on the trade union movement.
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The SAS chief’s attack on the trade union movement – Statement
