On 17 November 2004, the chief executive of Avinor AS, Randi Flesland, was given a vote of confidence by the company board, despite calls for her resignation from the trade unions. Avinor, previously known as the Norwegian Air Traffic and Airport Management (Luftfartsverket), has undergone a continuous process of reorganisation and workforce reduction since it was made into a state-owned limited company on 1 January 2003. In the course of this reorganisation process the relationship between management and the trade unions has soured, and this reached a peak in October when management announced its intentions to put before the board a proposal to relocate the air-traffic control centre for the south of Norway.
Since 2003, a continuing reorganisation process at Avinor, which is responsible for air-traffic control services in Norway, has contributed to a deterioration in the relationship between management and trade unions at the state-owned limited company. The tension culminated in late October 2004 when all air-traffic controllers at the control centre in Røyken simultaneously went sick, halting air traffic for almost a day in the southern parts of Norway.
On 17 November 2004, the chief executive of Avinor AS, Randi Flesland, was given a vote of confidence by the company board, despite calls for her resignation from the trade unions. Avinor, previously known as the Norwegian Air Traffic and Airport Management (Luftfartsverket), has undergone a continuous process of reorganisation and workforce reduction since it was made into a state-owned limited company on 1 January 2003. In the course of this reorganisation process the relationship between management and the trade unions has soured, and this reached a peak in October when management announced its intentions to put before the board a proposal to relocate the air-traffic control centre for the south of Norway.
Avinor is vested with responsibility for air-traffic control and airport management in Norway. It owns and operates 46 airports all over the country, among them Norway’s largest, Oslo Airport Gardermoen. In 2003, a cost-saving scheme was introduced, known as 'Take-off-05', in order to counter the economic downturn and slump in traffic witnessed in aviation since the events in the USA of 11 September 2001 (NO0206106F). The main objective of this scheme is to improve Avinor's annual results by NOK 400 million by 2006. To this end, significant staff reductions were proposed, and an estimated 700 full-time positions are to be eliminated, in addition to a reduction in the number of air-traffic control centres from four to two.
The trade unions represented at Avinor opposed the scheme from the start. It has not, according to the unions, been introduced with an acceptable level of participation from the employees concerned, and the personnel reductions involved are seen to be a threat to aviation safety. The unions do not totally oppose reorganisation as such, but argue that the speed with which staff reduction and other measures have been implemented is verging on negligence. Moreover, the trade unions argue that the cooperative climate in the company is now so bad that it poses a risk to air-traffic safety in Norway. The strained relationship between management and the trade unions reached a peak on 28 October 2004, when all air-traffic controllers at the control centre in Røyken simultaneously stopped work on grounds of illness, stalling air traffic for almost a day in the southern parts of Norway. This was seen by some as a deliberate and illegal act, not least by the management of Avinor, but was, according to Norwegian Air Traffic Controllers Association (Norsk Flygelederforening, NFF), a 'collective mental reaction' to the news that the air-traffic control centre was to be moved to another part of the country.
In November 2004, a report analysing the cooperative climate between management and trade unions within Avinor was made public. The strained relationship between central management and shop stewards is seen to be a main obstacle to cooperation, and the report thus calls for a renewed process of 'dialogue and participation'. The report also states that the emotional character of the dispute and excessive media exposure have had a detrimental effect on cooperation within the company. The report was considered at an Avinor board meeting in late November, at which the trade unions called for the resignation of the chief executive. The unions failed to find a sufficient majority in favour of their demand. In the light of the most recent events, the social partners at Avinor have agreed to freeze the reorganisation process and staff reductions for time being, for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the progress made so far.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2004), Rising tensions in air-traffic control, article.
