SAS critisise Norwegian and warns against the government’s proposal to open up to the use of employees from low-cost countries on long-haul routes.
Several thousand jobs in Norway are in danger of disappearing if the government’s proposed new Immigration Regulations for international aviation are implemented, warns SAS in its consultation letter to the government.
SAS writes that the government’s proposals will mean that crew members from low-cost countries outside the European Economic Area can be used virtually unlimited on aircraft registered in Norway.
– We then get a situation that distorts competition in that crews from low-cost countries have demands and conditions that are far below the Scandinavian level. From SAS’ point of view, all this is not about competition on equal terms, but to provide one airline with a competitive edge above companies like SAS, with conditions far below the norm of Norwegian employment conditions, according to the consultation document.
SAS writes that it is thanks to many exceptions and exemptions that Norwegian has hijacked the market share of the intercontinental routes over the past three years.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
