The Swedish SAS Scandinavian Airlines wants to have its crew clean the toilet cabins in the future. The "toilet cleaning" program infuriates flight attendants and trade unionists alike.
Stockholm – In the ongoing efforts of the management to get the struggling Swedish airline SAS back on its feet, no item seems to be too good not to be tapped for cost-saving potential. The latest idea: The cabin crew should not only supply air travelers with tomato juice and the like, but also do cleaning jobs – unions are up in arms.
| Airline | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| Intend | Cleaning plan for the crew - also in the toilet cubicle |
| Reason | Save costs |
Stumbling airline wants to have cabin crew cleaned in the future – even in the toilet cabin
SAS management and CEO Anko van der Werff want cabin crew to put on rubber gloves more often and, for example, clean the toilets after visiting passengers, reports the Swedish daily Expressen. The company, which calls the crew's cleaning program "cabin tidy," is now receiving massive criticism and scolding from workers' organizations.
imago0167888769h.jpg © Rolf Poss/imago
In Germany, trade unions had recently called for warning strikes at Munich Airport. The airport staff stated that they "could not live with the money in the region".
"People are": Airline cabin crew doesn't want to clean toilets
"People are," a member of the cabin crew, who wished to remain anonymous, told Expressen. For several years now, flight attendants on domestic flights have been required to collect visible garbage in order to avoid using external companies at each station. This procedure is now to be extended to the whole of Scandinavia from 1 June.
We do everything possible to reduce costs so that we can be competitive.
Karin Nyman, SAS Vice President Brand and Communications
"However, this is happening gradually," reassures Karin Nyman, communications director at SAS, denying that a thorough cleaning of the toilets is required: "It's about wiping out the sinks. Not the toilet seats," she says, but admits it's cost savings.
"Catastrophe for our working hours": Toilet cleaning becomes a central point of contention
The members of the cabin crew apparently perceive the new requirements differently. They are forced to clean the toilets as well, without it being explicitly expressed that way, which leads to confusion and dissatisfaction among the employees.
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"It would be a disaster for our working hours if we had to clean on board," said one of the flight attendants Expressen spoke to. No one wants to give his name because he fears reprisals if he goes public and criticizes the company.
Flight attendants dissatisfied: The airline's cleaning program is a central point of negotiation
Karin Nyman confirmed that the "Cabin Tidy" programme has now become the central negotiating point between the trade unions and the Swedish employers' association in the aviation industry. The ailing airline SAS filed for bankruptcy last year and is now trying to avert bankruptcy with a tough austerity course.
In order to save the airline, the airline's pilots have already agreed, among other things, to a ten percent reduction in their income and an increase in working hours by eight percent.