Top Oslo official attacks Wizz Air, says aviation employees on domestic routes deserve Norwegian salaries

Raymond JohansenPhoto: Berit Roald / NTB

After Dagens Næringsliv’s (DN) revelations about Wizz Air on Wednesday, Oslo City Council chief Raymond Johansen (AP) said he wants a ban on self-employed people in the aviation industry.

On Wednesday, DN reported that pilots in Wizz Air are not employed by the company

Instead, they operate as self-employed and must cover sickness benefits, taxes, and social costs themselves. 

The Hungarian airline did not want to comment on the information.

Minimum requirements

Oslo City Council chief Raymond Johansen believes that airlines on Norwegian domestic routes should operate with their own employees as a minimum requirement and that these employees have Norwegian pay and working conditions.

“It can’t be the case that pilots have to sell their services on an hourly basis to the airline and be responsible for sickness benefits, taxes, and social costs. This is not how working life in Norway works,” Johansen said.

He believes that the government must consider keeping domestic aircraft on the ground if the form of employment and contracts are in violation of the Working Environment Act. 

The authorities cannot overlook the connection between the working environment and safety, according to Johansen.

“Competition on equal terms”

“Ryanair and Wizz Air have long manned their aircraft with employees who are self-employed. 

“The difference now is that Wizz Air flies domestically in Norway in competition with SAS, Widerøe, and Norwegian. 

“It is good to have competition in the air, but the competition must take place on equal terms. 

“In Norway, we have both legislation and ethics that foreign companies must comply with. Wizz Air stretches boundaries that should not be stretched,” Johansen said.

He believes that even though aviation is international, the ambition must be to have Norwegian pay and working conditions in Norwegian airspace and on Norwegian domestic routes.

“It is time for the government to create a clearer framework for aviation in Norway,” he concluded.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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