ALPA Canada Supports Canadian Labour Congress Boycott of Scandinavian Airlines
Condemns unacceptable corporate behaviour toward the SAS pilots’ union and other working people
En français
OTTAWA, ONT.—Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) Canada, issued the following statement of support today after the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) declared a national boycott of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).
“On behalf of the 6,000 ALPA Canada members, we stand unwaveringly behind the SAS pilots. Due to the pandemic, SAS management laid off 560 pilots [40 percent of the workforce]. Last September, the airline management informed its remaining employees that new companies were being established [“SAS Connect” and “SAS Link”].
“Pilots who were previously fired were not being rehired and told they must reapply for their previous jobs on new terms and conditions via SAS Connect Crew Services or SAS Link Crew Services [fully owned SAS staffing agencies]. In effect, SAS pilots were being forced to restart their careers at SAS. SAS management wants to evade business-transfer laws in Scandinavia, which we believe to be an unacceptable afront to internationally held labour principles. Pilots in Canada know that airline sustainability, including real social sustainability, requires working with labour for long-term, positive, and just outcomes.
“We condemn abhorrent corporate behavior toward unions and working people and will confront and resist intolerable management practices. That is why ALPA Canada firmly supports the CLC request of its affiliates to avoid booking travel through SAS and patronize alternative carriers until further notice.
Bea Bruske, president of the CLC, said, “The CLC stands with working people across Canada and around the world. An attack like this on a working person in Scandinavia is an attack on a working person here or anywhere.”
ALPA Canada will continue consulting closely with the CLC and its affiliates regarding possible next steps.
ALPA Canada, part of ALPA International, is Member Association of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations, and an affiliate of the CLC, representing more than 6,000 pilots at 17 airlines in Canada. Visit us on Twitter @ALPACanada.
