Boikottes av fagforening: – SAS må forstå alvoret

I late August, Mattias Åman Thiel, leader of SAS section in Svensk Pilotförening (SPF), was fired. He had worked for the airline for 28 years, and his dismissal stemmed from a disagreement over how he conducted his trade union work, according to Swedish media. Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) voted a national boycott of SAS, stating their strong condemnation of the unjust dismissal of captain Mattias Aman Thiel, a democratically elected and highly respected representative of SAS pilots.

Tim Perry, leader of Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), commented on the decision in a statement. In addition to Thiel's dismissal, they also highlighted the case of Roger Klokset, a trade union leader for SAS pilots in Norway. Klokset received a written warning from SAS after a disagreement with the company. E24 previously reported on the case of Klokset, who claims that the warning from SAS was an attempt to intimidate them and strip them of their ability to influence.

The Canadian trade union movement's decision to boycott SAS demonstrates the seriousness with which the treatment of elected representatives is taken internationally. Elected representatives must be able to represent their members and challenge their employer without fear of retaliation, says Norsk Flygerforbund's trade union leader, Synnøve Egeness Lilleli.

She emphasizes that these issues have already sparked strong reactions from pilot organizations worldwide, and the Canadian boycott represents a significant escalation. Lilleli states that challenging such fundamental rights affects far more than just those directly involved. SAS has not commented on the trade union protests, citing that the company does not comment on individual cases of employment matters.

However, they have emphasized their strong commitment to the Scandinavian labor model. E24 has attempted to obtain a comment from SAS regarding this matter, to date without success.