SAS strike unlikely to be short-lived

Unfortunately for travellers booked with the airline, the current SAS strike looks set to rumble on for a while as there are two large issues pilots’ unions and the company will need to find consensus on before strike action ends, newspaper VG reports. 

“There are no reassuring signs that it will be short-lived. They have been negotiating for several days, with several postponements, and yet they did not agree,” aircraft analyst Jacob Pedersen from Danish Sydbank told VG. 

Pilots employed by SAS’s parent company, SAS Scandinavia, announced strike action because they were unsatisfied with their salary and working conditions.

In addition, the pilots are dissatisfied that instead of re-employing old SAS pilots, priority is given to hiring new pilots on cheaper agreements in the two subsidiaries, SAS Link and SAS Connect.

READ MORE: What the SAS strike means for travellers in Norway

At least 163 flights out of Norway were cancelled due to the SAS strike

On Tuesday, 163 services from SAS out of Norway were cancelled due to a strike, according to an overview from newspaper VG.

Of the cancellations, 79 were overseas departures, while 84 were domestic flights. 

Yesterday 900 pilots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark went on strike after the company and unions failed to reach an agreement by the Monday midday deadline. 

The airline said that up to 30,000 passengers per day could be affected. 

READ MORE: What can SAS passengers do if their flight is affected by pilots’ strike?

Population in rural Norway to shrink by 2050

Most rural municipalities in Norway will begin to shrink in population by 2050, while the cities and suburbs will continue to grow. 

This is according to a projection by national statistics agency Statistics Norway. 

Norway’s population is expected to grow from 5.4 million to 6 million by 2050 and 6.2 million by 2100. 

“The growth in the population in the next decades will be unevenly distributed across the country. Viken county is expected to grow by 19 percent by 2050, while Nordland is expected to shrink by 2 percent,” Statistics Norway researcher Sturla Løkken said. 

Three oil fields to go on strike

Union Lederne has taken 74 members out on strike, which will lead to the shut down of the Gudrun, Oseberg sør and Oseberg Øst oil fields. 

More oil fields could close on Wednesday when 117 more workers at three other oil fields could go on strike. 

According to Norwegian Oil and Gas, 13 percent of gas exports abroad will be lost due to the strike.