The Swedish Pilots’ Association has taken legal action against airline SAS, alleging the hiring of labour under illegal conditions. The lawsuit claims a violation of the co-determination act, suggesting SAS employed labour without union negotiation. Beyond this, criticism targets SAS’s engagement with Baltic airline Smartlynx, allegedly hiring pilots and cabin crew through a Dubai-based company. These workers, despite being based in Sweden, fall under United Arab Emirates labour laws, prompting concerns of disenfranchisement among employees. The agreements contain provisions deemed unacceptable in the Swedish labour market, denying basic rights such as vacations and sick pay. The association denounces Smartlynx’s practices and suspects tax fraud, citing missing work permits within the EU and non-compliance with secondment laws in Sweden. These alleged actions not only impact employee rights but may also affect travellers and flight safety, according to Martin Lindgren of the Swedish Pilots’ Association. The union urges SAS to fulfil its legal obligations and choose subcontractors that uphold fair labour practices.<br/>
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Brussels Airlines pilots have announced they will be joining cabin crew for striking in December. Cabin crew’s “indefinite period” strike starts today while pilots are planning on walking out from 11 December onwards. The main problem that pilots are facing is insufficient rest time between flights, leading to work overload. “During the corona crisis, rest times were changed increasing workload for cabin crews and pilots. Staff are now requesting structural measures to build more rest times into their schedules”, Jolinde Defieuw, from the ACV Puls union explained. The strike has not been officially decided on yet, but pilots have expressed their willingness and readiness to walk out aiming to “force management back to the negotiating table”, said ACV Puls permanent secretary, Olivier Van Camp. “The problem is not that Brussels Airlines is short of pilots, but that there is a major problem with the management of human resources and particularly with the timetables,” added Van Camp.<br/>