59-year-old Atle Skarsten from Tananger in Rogaland is one of 900 SAS pilots who have gone on strike. He has worked as a pilot in the company for over 30 years, and is scheduled to retire in a little over two years. Immediately after news’s interview with him, he will immediately be on a strike guard at the airport. He says he is on strike to support those who will continue in the industry after he has flown his last trip. – I do not do this for myself, but for all future pilots, and for all occupational groups in Norway. If we let the SAS management get away with this, we will make it more difficult for the pilots in the future. Then they will constantly compete with themselves, Skarsten says to news. SAS has been presented with all allegations in this case. In an e-mail to news, SAS’s press manager Tonje Sund writes the following: – We do not share that picture of reality. Our focus now is to save SAS. SAS VETERAN: Atle Skarsten has been a pilot in SAS for over 30 years and loves his job. He even has Airbus caps. Photo: Even Hye T. Barka – We have become the scapegoats The experienced pilot says that he loves his profession, and that he misses being with the passengers. The five-day strike so far has therefore not been easy. Now he wants a solution. – I think it is extremely sad, and I have many friends, relatives and family who are affected by the strike. It is incredibly sad that this is happening at this time, says Skarsten, who also says that the support for the pilots has been great. – As is well known, SAS is currently heavily indebted. Is it not then understandable that you save where you can? – Clearly. But 900 pilots will be responsible for a saving of 800 million kroner every year. It is quite brutal on every pilot, says Skarsten. And adds: – We have become the scapegoats and someone to blame. It is always popular to blame the pilots. FATHER AND DAUGHTER: Before he went on strike, Atle Skarsten was visiting his daughter Malene in Tananger. Here he helped to set up a fence. Photo: Even Hye T. Barka – It felt like a betrayal One of the SAS pilots’ demands in the conflict has been that those who were fired during the corona pandemic should get their jobs back. They think they are entitled to that. SAS, for its part, believes that it has fulfilled its obligations. Lars Magnus Kirkhus sits on the board of the Norwegian SAS pilots’ association, and is among the few who got their job back in the spring of 2021, after being without work for almost a year and a half. He says that 440 of his colleagues have not yet been allowed to return to their jobs, and reacts strongly to the fact that they were encouraged to apply for what he believes are their own jobs in the company SAS. These jobs are in the companies SAS Link and SAS Connect, where they would then start with zero seniority. – It felt like a betrayal, because it really was not what was agreed or promised by SAS. It was very heavy, and we have felt an enormous frustration related to SAS not following the rules of working life, Kirkhus told news. PILOTS: Lars Magnus Kirkhus (right) and Jo Sirum are both SAS pilots. Photo: Private – Nobody wants to work in such a company Kirkhus believes SAS is now trying to circumvent its collective agreements. When asked whether he wants to continue working at SAS if his colleagues do not get their jobs back, he answers: – It is very demanding to work in a company that does not respect its employees and agreements entered into. No one wants to work in such a company. That is why we are on this strike. We will continue to do so until the working life principles are upheld, he says. – SAS believes they have fulfilled their obligations. What do you answer to that? – The fact is that SAS has broken agreements entered into. Instead of taking back loyal employees, they have ingeniously managed to reorganize themselves away from their obligations as an employer. The pilots they put on the street in the pandemic have taken the biggest hit. At the same time, the SAS pilot emphasizes that none of the strikers wants to be in this situation. – We want to do what we do best, and that is to fly our passengers. It is incredibly sad that many have their holiday plans ruined by the SAS management’s unwillingness to reach an agreement. We have agreed to huge cuts in our terms precisely to ensure that SAS can be a viable company also in the future.
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– We have become the scapegoats – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
