RedChili

Interline agreement has to do with whether baggage is transferred from one airline to another. SK has computers with access to the IATA systems, and all IATA airlines are there. It doesn't matter whether you can interline baggage or not. SK can still sell 117 tickets on BA and all other IATA airlines. IATA has some system in place whereby the bill goes directly to the airline making the booking.

GUWonder

highupinthesky

The last agreement lasted 2 years, and as far as I remember there weren't any strike last time. I actually think it's at least 4 years since the last strike at SAS.

Well. SAS actually terminated the agreements for the pilot's influence on their schedule when the pilot's terminated the 3 year agreement in June last year. It's not just the salary, which is the reason for the strike. But end of the day. I don't know enough about the pilot's salary and other work conditions to be able to say whether their claims are justified or not. But I do agree they are free to seek other employment, and I'm annoyed by the strike too, But it's part of the Scandinavian model whether we like it or not, so we will have to live with it.
There are many reasons why the Scandinavian model has outlived it self, but the strikes are not one of them IMHO.

highupinthesky

Last year it was announced that SAS will rebook on BA and vise versa in case of disruptions to/from London. So I'm pretty sure SAS can rebook on BA.

GUWonder

fassy

The last strike action I have witnessed at SK was summer 2016. So about 2,5 to 3 years ago. I know, since I was impacted being stranded in ARN returning from HEL and had to take rental car back home down in Skane. And as I said, it is not just the pilots. The contract negotiations for the FAs, baggage handlers, ground handling, maintenance and finally pilots don't happen the same time. They are interleaved which opens up the opportunity for strike action every year, actually sometimes even two times a year. Similar thing with the train crews in Germany... as soon the train drivers finally agree with Deutsche Bahn a small group organized in a different union go on strike, then the rail workers, then the conductors ... never ending story.

From what I read, SAS offered to give in to all those demands and reinstate the privileges for the pilot to take quite some influence their schedule. And I do not think this a is a good thing. If every employee in the world would make their own schedule, nothing would work. Accept it, you are doing a job you get paid for! Part of that is, that your employer makes the rules. If you do not like it, look for a different employer. That's what I do when I do not like the rules my employer is imposing on me. Of course after some warnings and talks, but I would not just sit down, strike and blackmail my employer to give in to my demands .

And as I said before, I know enough pilots and know, most discussions are not around money and also not about being able to schedule your work to your personal time-plan but about respect and general treatment from the company. (which btw also made me leave a very well paid and nice job at one of the Scandic big employers some years ago)


Sure, there we agree. Strikes are not just a Scandinavian thing and happen in most western countries with same pseudo-socialistic almost-state owned companies like Deutsche Bahn.

<RANT>
I do not get how ANY employee gets to the point where they ask for x% more money for doing the same job over and over again. Just had a discussion with one of my guys and he asked for 25% pay-raise because he bought a house, married and got two kids in the last three years.

I asked him why he thinks he deserves more money for the job he is doing and he couldn't give me any reason besides that his living conditions changed. I told him, that that is not my problem and that we can solve the problem different ways:

1) He takes on extra responsibilities or changes job function, which means getting out of his 9 to 5 in the office comfort zone and would involve e.g. a traveling, time pressure on deliverables and personal accountability for the projects.
2) We agree on a performance bonus scheme, where the current output he is producing would be at 100% but to get a bonus I expect at least 110% to 125%.
3) He looks for a different employer.
4) Just stay put

He told me he doesn't want to do either 1 or 2 (and probably not 3, since we pay well and are a quite nice company). Just 4 and get more money, which will not happen.

And should he decide trying to blackmail me by strike (which he legally cannot do) or "soft"-strike, e.g. reduce his productiveness, slack around, miss deliverables on purpose etc. he will need to go for 3. And shocking enough, he is not even trying to do better and impress me. He is just dragging along. After such a talk, I would made really an effort to show I'm worth considering for a promotion or actually get a raise. But... nothing!

Yes, I have ZERO understanding for strike action in modern age anymore. It might have been a valid instrument in the early ages of industrialization but nowadays the modern labor laws protect the labor force already more than enough and the free market will regulate the rest. If an employer is not attractive, the good employees will leave and look for a better place.

And I have even less understanding for strike action in the public sector where a whole society is taken hostage for the benefit of a very few. Especially if these very few are already working the highest paid jobs with some of the most generous benefits you could get.

</RANT>

simcity4000

(Updated 08:33 CET 29APR19)

TRAFFIC DISRUPTIONS DUE TO PILOT STRIKE IN DENMARK, NORWAY AND SWEDEN
We’re sorry if you’ve been affected by the ongoing pilot strike that has led to delays and canceled flights.

SAS Customer Service apologize for the unusually long waiting times right now and we are doing everything we can to assist our customers.

Flights operated by SAS’ partners will not be affected by the strike.

SAS is striving to reach a solution as quickly as possible to prevent additional inconveniences for travelers.

REINSTATE
SK966/30APR Hongkong to Copenhagen is reinstated and will operate according to schedule.
SK983/30APR19 Copenhagen to Tokyo and SK984/01MAY Tokyo to Copenhagen are reinstated and will operate according to schedule.

Great news to hear at least for these few days only!

nacho

Is he the last added employee in the company? If it's the case then you are lucky with the last in first out rule in Sweden. Mr. was trying to fire someone who wasn't performing and it took him 12 months from approval from above to getting rid of him and the company is in Denmark, so Danish labour law applies fortunately.

eqeqeqx

GF was affected by this and her flights inside EU cancelled via email. Tried to contact the booking offices on the phone, but no answer, even after holding for an hour. Even contacted five different offices, Sunday evening, Since we were passing through the airport the night before her cancelled next morning flight from the same airport, she contacted the sales office at the airport. They booked her on another flight, with another airline, which was as it should be. I was however surprised they also offered to comp her a room for the night, for the flight leaving early next morning, just an hour or so before her originally scheduled flight.

Not happy about the inability to contact them via phone (automated "we're very busy now" message from the Scandinavian offices, then disconnected, while at another one we waited on hold for an hour before giving up), but the sales office at the airport handled things really well IMO and fixed everything almost immediately.

CPH-Flyer

Is someone sufficiently important going to Japan for the coronation and that is why the Narita run is back? (members of the royal families?)

fassy

Well, lucky for me he is not employed in Sweden or any of the Nordic countries. I could get rid of him quite easily. We are a quite global company and my team is distributed over like 10 different countries and dozens of nationalities.

CPH-Flyer

One of the big challenges is the number of weekends that pilots work According to the pilots, they can work up to 7 weekends in a row. However, a weekend is defined to start Friday at 4pm and end Monday at 7am. So if the shift ends at 4:30pm on a Friday and the rest of the weekend is time of, it is counted in their 7 weekends in a row statics
​​​​​​
Seriously??

By the standard, the only weekends where I don't work would be in connection with taking vacation.

The pilots even acknowledge that is their method of counting.

​​​​​https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/sas-piloter-utilfredse-med-antal-weekendvagter-det-er-ikke-et-8-16-job-siger

tgj1974

Tried SK a few times before reading this, every time cut of after 2 mins.

Called expedia, got through immediately, but did take 1h to fix, but then direct flight to Chicago Tuesday

highupinthesky

There are no first in first out rule in DK. It's all union agreements, just like there are no minimum salary. But many companies still suffer from old union agreements which gave the unions a lot of influence. In the company I work for the unions had veto against promoting people to management positions etc. I wrote had, because they took the fight about 10 years go to get rid of this together with a number of other rights which doesn't fit a modern work life.

The only restriction when firing someone in DK is if the person is handicapped, pregnant or similar. In those cases the employer can be forced to document the person is not fired because of the disability. The worst action against the employer is often a compensation of 6 months pay.

If a large number of people are fired at the same time, negotiations with the unions to reduce the number has to take place, but the employer is entitled to reject all alternative proposals, and is free to pick anyone they want. Packages for volunteers will often be offered, but the employer is entitled to refuse any volunteers they want to keep.

highupinthesky

I wonder who is going to fly those 2 birds. Also wonder whether it will be OY-KBI, which will do the return flight from HKG. It's currently down there for maintenance, and is ready to go back as far as I know.