The National Union of Airline Pilots (SNPL) said it was "
stunned
" Tuesday by the creation by the former Norwegian boss of an airline operating low cost long-haul flights, while the Norwegian has just decided to stop its long-haul activity in January, leaving 286 French employees on the sidelines.
Read also: Tomorrow, we will no longer take the plane at all costs
"
Without any embarrassment, the founders (of Norse Atlantic Airways) inform us that this new Norwegian airline, which will be based in Oslo, will take over the business model of the late Norwegian
", denounced the SNPL in a press release.
One of the main investors in the project is Bjorn Kjos, founder and former CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle, which abruptly announced the end of its long-haul activity in January, and therefore the closure of its Paris branch.
It employs 145 pilots, 136 cabin crew and five administrative employees and was placed in liquidation on March 1.
"
The SNPL has never ceased to denounce the way in which the Norwegian Group manages, or rather does not manage, the social situation in France
", writes the union in its press release.
An "opaque liquidation"
The employees of Norwegian France denounce an opaque liquidation, managed from Ireland where is located the Norwegian subsidiary holding the French branch, without any contact with the parent company based in Oslo.
The SNPL considers "
unacceptable
" this closure which "does
not respect the rules of French labor law in terms of dismissal
".
"
How to accept that a new company appears, with a wave of a magic wand, on the still hot ashes of Norwegian France?
“Asks the union, which denounces the use of public money made by the defunct company, through recourse to partial unemployment during the health crisis.
Insolvency evidence to be provided on Thursday
Norwegian employees fear that the liquidator appointed in Ireland to settle the situation will resort to the wage guarantee (AGS), or public money, to settle severance pay.
Thursday, the Bobigny court ordered the company to provide the social and economic council (CSE) of the company with a series of documents to prove the reality of its insolvency.
"
We intend to use this judgment to ensure that the information consultation for layoffs is done correctly,
" said Damien Quéland, secretary of the CSE.
The disappearance of Norwegian in France, replaced by Norse Atlantic Airways amounts to "
taking advantage of the crisis to make the lowest social price, by laying off on the one hand and + offering +, on the other, much less advantageous working conditions to flight personnel finding themselves in a more degraded labor market than ever
, ”said the SNPL.
