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Today, the Nordland County Municipality announced that it will boycott public travel with Hungarian airline Wizz Air.
For one of the NRK meetings at Bodø airport, the answer is clear:
– I will not buy a flight with them, says Jorid Lossius.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg has also stated that the company cannot refuse to allow employees to organize.
Earlier this month, Solberg declared that he supports a boycott of the company.
Several industry organizations have also announced that they will boycott travel with the company.
Nordland politicians back
Nordland County Municipality says no to county employees flying Wizz Air in a work context.
As early as 2016, they adopted guidelines for recruitment. This indicates that the acquisitions will support the social responsibility of the county municipality.
The leader of the county council, Tomas Norvoll (Labor Party), says that it is about putting the foot down. He believes that the company does not give employees the opportunity to enter into collective agreements.
Tomas Norvoll and the county council say today that the county municipality says no to business travel in the county with the low-cost company Wizz Air.
Photo: Kåre Riibe Ramskjell / NRK
– We cannot spend public money on a company that will actively undermine the rights of workers. We have a responsibility and a very strict policy in that area, he says.
Nordland FrP County Leader Dagfinn Olsen is also behind the decision
– If it is the case that Wizz Air refuses to allow its employees to unionize, I think the county council is absolutely right to do so. It is the employee himself who must decide whether to organize. This is the working life policy in Norway, you must respect it if you are flying in Norway.
County Council Leader Tomas Norvoll now hopes more people will follow suit:
– I hope that other counties and municipalities will do the same, so I encourage the state to assume its responsibility.
Wizz Air has long offered cheap international travel from Norway. Now they want to compete on national routes as well.
Photo: BERNADETT SZABO / Reuters
Wizz Air: – The boycott is childish
The founder and CEO of Wizz Air, József Váradi, has previously stated that the boycott of various unions and organizations is childish.
Yesterday, he told Dagsrevyen that they must follow Norwegian law.
– We do not deny people any rights. We will comply with the laws and rules of the land. That is not my decision. That decision is made by the employees.
József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air, has previously stated that a boycott of the company is childish.
Photo: Bernadett Szabo / Reuters / NTB
the company. We hire people in Norway, and then we look at the market conditions in Norway and adapt our standards to the Norwegian ones, Váradi told NRK recently.
Earlier this year, Hungarian airline Wizz Air announced that they would go into a price war against Norwegian and SAS on domestic routes in Norway.
As of November 5, the company flies these routes:
Oslo – Bergen (four times a day), Oslo – Trondheim (twice a day) and Oslo – Tromsø (four times a day).
The background is the attitudes of the company towards the organization of the employees.
Several travelers are skeptical about traveling with Wizz Air
It is not just the public sector that is boycotting. Several private individuals also say they want to think more carefully before booking a ticket.
Siss-Heidi Martinussen at Bodø airport will not have cheap flights at any price.
– If it is the case that it is at the expense of the employees, then you have to start thinking a bit about whether to use them.
Marie Indahl also doesn’t think it’s silly for employers to ban employee organizations.
– Basically, it’s good that more people want to settle down. But then I heard that they are not allowed to organize. It doesn’t suit Norwegian working life, he says.
E vivos Øigård also believes that an adequate salary should be a prerequisite.
– Do you want to travel with Wizz Air?
– If they pay adequate wages, yes, but if I order the ticket myself, maybe not
Wizz Air focuses on low prices in Norway
Pricing will start at 199 kr and the company will place two aircraft at Gardermoen.
Wizz Air has 133 aircraft in operation and plans to have more than 300 aircraft by the end of 2026.
The airline is the third largest low-cost airline in Europe. Its stock more than halved in a few weeks in March, but it has risen back to 80 percent of value before the pandemic.
NRK has tried to contact Wizz Air, but has not received a response to the inquiry so far.
