SAS and pilot unions set to continue talks as strike enters 11th day

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STOCKHOLM — A pilot strike at SAS that has affected hundreds of thousands of holiday travelers entered its 11th day on Thursday as unions and airline were set to continue talks over a new collective bargaining agreement.

The parties resumed talks on Wednesday after they broke down on July 4 and the walkout started but they were unable to reach a deal, with negotiations set to resume on Thursday.

“(The talks) have stopped for today and will continue tomorrow,” said a spokesperson for Dansk Metal, the union representing Danish SAS pilots, on Wednesday evening.

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Long-struggling SAS has said the strike at the height of its peak season is costing $10 million to $13 million a day while at the same time it needs to slash costs and attract new investors to survive.

The pilots employed in many decades old SAS Scandinavia have said they would agree to limited wage cuts and less favorable terms. SAS has said the concessions are not enough for it to succeed with a large rescue plan announced in February.

Unions are also demanding that pilots let go during the pandemic are rehired at SAS Scandinavia, rather than having to compete with external applicants for jobs at newly started SAS Link and Ireland-based SAS Connect.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Stine Jacobsen & Shri Navaratnam)