SAS and pilots resume talks as strike enters third week

By Anna Ringstrom

STOCKHOLM -SAS and pilot unions resumed negotiations on Monday in an effort to finish a two-week strike that the Scandinavian airline says threatens its existence.

Most SAS pilots in Sweden, Denmark and Norway walked out on July 4 after talks over circumstances associated to the service’s rescue plan collapsed. The events returned to the negotiating desk within the Swedish capital on July 13.

“I hope it should get solved,” Jan Levi Skogvang, one of many union officers represending SAS pilots, informed reporters as he arrived for the talks on Monday.

Shares in SAS had been up 11.6% at 0727 GMT as talks continued, although the inventory is down practically 70% over the previous 12 months.

Negotiations had continued by way of the weekend in a marathon 33-hour session with out breaks.

The events made progress however vital points had but to be resolved, a mediator mentioned late on Sunday.

Lengthy-struggling SAS wants to draw new traders and safe bridge financing, saying it should first slash prices to realize these goals.

Pilots employed within the 75-year-old service’s SAS Scandinaviasubsidiary mentioned after talks collapsed that they might comply with restricted wage cuts and fewer beneficial phrases, whereas SAS mentioned the concessions provided weren't sufficient for it to hold out a rescue plan introduced in February.

Unions additionally demand that pilots axed in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic are rehired at SAS Scandinavia slightly than having to compete with exterior candidates for jobs on much less engaging phrases at lately created SAS Hyperlink and Eire-based SAS Join

For Monday, 183 SAS flights, or 57% of these scheduled, werecancelled, in response to flight-tracking platform FlightAware.Pilots at SAS Hyperlink and SAS Join will not be on strike.