Strike action planned in Sweden cabin crew dispute

February 9, 2012

Cabin crew workers at a Swedish airline are to take strike action following a stalemate over sector-wide duty time regulations.

The workers, represented by the ITF-affiliated Unionen, and the Swedish organisation for civil aviation employers Svenska FlygBranschen have been in negotiations since March 2010 over a new agreement for cabin crew based and operating in Sweden.

The negotiations have been focused on 10 current agreements regulating 18 different companies so that they can be merged into a single settlement. Although both parties have agreed on the structure and national regulations, they have reached an impasse on the subject of a regulation limiting planned duty time. The employers have refused outright to negotiate or even discuss a sector-wide duty time regulation.

On 2 February Unionen declared that cabin crew would carry out a complete work stoppage across three of the 18 companies – TUIfly Nordic, Nova Airlines and Primera – starting from 11am on 14 February until an agreement is signed covering all companies. Other actions such those as involving additional companies and other unions have not been ruled out.

Michael Collins, Unionen’s national secretary, said: “We have exhausted all means at our disposal to reach a negotiated solution; that’s why Unionen has no other recourse than to give notice of industrial action.”

Parat, a Norwegian ITF affiliate, which organises 3700 aviation workers has expressed support for the union and has instructed its members not to participate in any work that could be construed as strike breaking.