Opposes What They Call Norwegian Air Shuttle’s 'Evasive Labor Practices'

A delegation of pilots and aviation labor leaders from around the globe are meeting in Oslo, Norway, this week as part of a critical fact-finding mission to raise awareness over Norwegian Air Shuttle’s (NAS) attempt to avoid Norway’s employment laws.

Led by Capt. Lee Moak (pictured), president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), the delegation will meet with Norwegian government officials and U.S. diplomats in Norway to discuss Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) plan to exploit legal and regulatory loopholes to gain an unfair economic edge over U.S. airlines in competing for international long-haul passengers. Capt. Moak has also requested a meeting with NAS Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Kjos while in Oslo.

As part of its proposal to evade Norwegian labor laws, the group says NAS plans to establish NAI as a subsidiary low-cost air carrier of Ireland, whose labor laws, unlike Norway’s, appear to allow outsourcing of aircrew beyond the European Union. NAI/NAS plans to operate Irish-registered aircraft flying from Norway and other EU points to the United States by outsourcing its labor to aircrew based in Thailand under individual employment contracts governed by Singapore law.

In short, Ireland has become the “flag of convenience” for NAI/NAS to avoid taxes, labor laws, and social costs of other countries, according to ALPA and others. The delegation will call on the Irish government to deny the NAI’s application for an air operator certificate.

The NAI scheme to fly long-haul flights to the United States also raises questions about labor accountability and safety, according to the delegation. They say key questions include which labor laws will apply to NAI’s flight crews, and how will the Irish Aviation Authority be able to provide adequate safety oversight when the airline and its aircraft do not operate through Ireland.

Delegation representatives include pilot leaders from U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, FedEx Express, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Endeavor Air, and Mesa Air Group. Also traveling from the Unites States are representatives from the AFL-CIO and Association of Flight Attendants. A number of pilots representing airlines from the European Cockpit Association, including Scandinavian Airlines, Aer Lingus, and others will attend.

FMI: www.alpa.org