Pilots Walked Off The Job Protesting Freelance Flyers

About 230 Swedish airline pilots reportedly walked away from their airplanes Monday in a protest against their employers' demands.

The Swedish Airline Pilots Association says it takes exception with the demands by four regional airlines to be allowed to hire "freelance" pilots, and to go around collective bargaining employment regulations.

The Swedish English language news service "The Local" reports that Union Chairman Gunnar Mandahl said a mediator in the case failed to come up with an offer Friday that met the "basic security needs of Swedish pilots," and negotiations failed to break the impasse over the weekend. The strike, which began Monday, was planned to last until Wednesday unless an agreement could be reached. After that deadline, a broader strike which could affect international and charter flights is possible.

The affected airlines are Avia Express, Avitrans Nordic, Golden Air, and Svenska Direktflyg. The mediator's offer reportedly cut pilots' pay by 15-20 percent and increased the work week to 47.5 hours.

One of the airlines, Avia Express, reportedly has fired all 80 of its pilots effective July 17th, and is looking to hire replacements.

FMI: http://www.swealpa.se/longtext.asp?type=article&id=33&lang=2&loginlink=1