Norway

A pay settlement for workers in the municipal sector is out for ballot following strike action. Details of the deal will be circulated shortly. The result in the state sector is also out on a ballot among the membership. The recommended result is a yearly increase estimated at 6.1% with a general pay rise of between €2008 and €4016 per year or approx 7% for the lower pay grades and just under 4% for the highest. In addition to this general increase, 1% is set a side for wage regulation negotiations (July) and 1.3% for local negotiations. The local parties have to monitor the gender pay gap and negotiate to remove it. In addition there are improvements for older workers. From the age of 62 the employees have the right to eight days off without pay deduction and local negotiations can improve on this by up to six days. The ballot will be concluded on 23 June.

Airport workers began strike action on 16 May in support of changes in their pay system. Over the following days some 400 workers, many with responsibilities for rescue and emergency services, in 13 airports around the country joined the action until a new agreement was negotiated late on 20 May. The agreement does not just provide for a higher pay increase overall but includes larger payments for working outside normal hours and at weekends. The general pay increase will be at least 19,000 Kr (€2,400) a year. Read more at > Aftenposten news (EN) And at > NTL (NO) And at > ELOGIT(NO) And at > LOSTAT (NO)

Negotiations last week between Norwegian unions, the NHO employers’ organisation and the government ended with a positive result for the trade unions as the government agreed to extra funding to continue to provide early retirement pensions. The official retirement age in Norway is 67 but workers can retire from 62 on a slightly reduced pension. The agreement ensures that workers still have this option as well as being able to continue working. The negotiations also resulted in a 5.6% pay increase covering mainly private sector workers, with higher increases for the lower paid. The collective agreements covered by the negotiations include the private sector nurses and healthcare agreement. Read more at > LO (EN) And at > Aftenposten news website (EN)

Negotiations over reforms to the pension system broke down before Easter and a process of arbitration was due to start after the holidays. Employers are looking for changes to the current system that allows workers to retire up to five years earlier than the official retirement age of 67. Read more at > Aftenposten news website (EN)

Unions in the public and private sector are gearing up for negotiations with the government next month over changes to the pension system. The current retirement age is 67 with the possibility of retirement from 62. The government wants to reduce the level of benefits paid out between 62 and 67 to discourage early retirement. An opinion poll indicates high levels of support for the current system. Read more at > Aftenposten (EN)

Regulatory authorities in Norway are getting more funding to help them monitor wages and working conditions in sectors employing migrant workers, according to the EIRO industrial relations observatory. There is already legislation requiring compliance with Norwegian pay and conditions for migrant workers and further legislation is planned to help maintain standards. In particular, proposed regulations could be introduced to ensure that contracting companies make sure that the companies they use as sub-contractors comply with collective agreements. Read more at > EIRO (EN)

The government has set up a commission of researchers to investigate the persistent gender pay gap, according to the EIRO industrial relations observatory. The commission will report its recommendations to the government by the end of March 2008. The social partners are not represented directly on the Commission but will be involved in the process through a consultative group. One issue the Commission will consider is whether legal changes are necessary to tackle the longstanding pay differences between occupations and industries traditionally seen as male and female. Read more at > EIRO (EN)

Latest figures on collective bargaining and union membership indicate that all public sector workers are covered by collective agreements. This compares to about 60% in the private sector. Overall union density is about 53% of the workforce, a figure that has been stable since 2000 but is much higher in the public sector at 81%. Read more at > EIRO (EN)

Our Norwegian affiliate, EL&IT, has sent us this report. Strike action began on 21 June after negotiations over a new pay agreement for the period 2006-2008 failed. Our main demands to the employers were: · Influence in local bargaining; · Regulations to prevent social dumping; and · Regulations when workers are travelling in their work (standards of sleeping, restrooms and so on.) The major problem that led to the strike has been that the employer denies us influence in local bargaining. The companies demand absolute control over which of our members shall be given a raise. We cannot accept this, and decided to take 1100 members out in strike. The companies that are involved are Skagerak Energy, Eidsiva Energy, Lyse Energy, Helgelandskraft an Agder Energy. The workers that are in strike includes also members of Fagforbundet. On Monday 3 July 1500 more members will be on strike. This includes the companies of BKK in Bergen, and Hafslund Energy in Oslo.

The EIRO industrial relations observatory reports that unions and employers have agreed a new pension system for the private sector. At the moment the public sector retains its system that provides workers with a pension worth two-thirds of income at retirement. In contrast the private sector system will be adjusted according to life expectancy, prices and wages and pensions will not keep pace with average earnings. Read more at > EIRO

The latest response to the EPSU survey provides details of the 2005 agreement covering 4,000 workers in the Norwegian electricity sector - the companies still owned by local and regional government. The agreement runs from 1 June 2005 to 30 April 2006 and includes a 3.5% increase in pay which includes an estimate of the outcome of local negotiations. Inflation in Norway was 1.6% in the year to May, up from 1.3% in April.

• Sign up the newsletter
• Site Map
• Print
• admin

45 rue Royale, Box 1
1000 Brussels
Belgium
32 2 250 10 80 tel
32 2 250 10 99 fax
contact us - staff

Representing 217 unions - 8 million public service workers

Home Page > About us > Priorities > Collective Bargaining > epsucob@NEWS - collective bargaining > Norway