A strike by roughly 500 Scandinavian Airlines cabin crew in Norway has been called off after 25 hours of mediation produced a new collective agreement between unions Fellesforbundet and Parat and employer group NHO Luftfart, averting a walkout that had been set to begin early Saturday.
The revised deal raises flight supplements to 10 percent for all members and grants an additional 800-kroner supplement to employees on the lowest pay grades, while halving the number of salary steps to accelerate wage progression for newer hires. SAS acknowledged that the agreement will increase certain costs. State mediator Mats Ruland described the talks as among the most demanding mediations he has overseen.
The agreement follows a previous tentative deal that members rejected with 70 percent opposition. Union members will vote on the new proposal between Aug. 14 and Aug. 20. Parat has noted that SAS cabin staff earn 20 percent less than counterparts at Norwegian. Separately, mediation involving 186 ground-handling staff is scheduled for next week.