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Old May 17, 2016 | 6:03 am
  #6  
ksu
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Originally Posted by tyn
I realize it's hard to predict, but any clue what's the outlook for July- August?

I was about to book a ten day tour of Norway but will change destination if it is likely that the hotels will be doing limited service. I want all comforts when on vacation and I much doubt the tour operator will be offering discounts due to the strikes, so it would be annoying to pay in full for partial service.
It is very unlikely that the strike will last that long. As I wrote in my previous post, there are signals that negotiations might reopen after the weekend (i.e. tomorrow), and this strike has already lasted much longer that strikes usually do here. One reason for that is that the hotel business has a (for Norway) very low union membership rate. In other businesses (airlines, airports) the union membership rate is much higher, the strike hits harder, and the government routinely introduces emergency legislation to stop the strike (called "tvungen lønnsnemnd", meaning something like "enforced arbitration"). This strike is fully legal, and thus follows very strict rules.

The strike is very expensive for both sides, which also speaks for a higher probability for it to end soon.

Do not expect any rebates for loss of services. Legal strikes are force majeure, so your tour operator will not get any reduction from the hotels in question to pass over to you.

My recommendation would be to sit on the fence for a week or so before rebooking to a different destination.
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