Tense climate for certain sectors. The hospitality and restaurant sector is on strike since 23 April. Unions are looking for a significant wage rise for the lowest paid and for wages to catch up with levels paid in other sectors including industry. Around 7,000 employees in 760 hotels and restaurants are affected. A nationwide strike threat is still hanging in the air because only the Akademikerne union for third level educated employees has agreed to sign a ‘modern’ agreement that the other three unions see as a provocation because it completely alters the wage system with all negotiations moving to local level with regulations to govern any disputes, which the LO union (Confederation of Norwegian unions), the UNIO union (Hovedorganisasjonen for universitets- og høyskoleutdannede) (Confederation of graduates from the Third level education system), and the YS union (Yrkesorganisasjonenes Sentralforbund ) (professional organizations central union view as diluting the right to strike.
Norway: a round up of 2016 negotiations
2016 is an important year for negotiations and although the industry pay rise of 2.4% set the tone, several sectors have nonetheless run into negotiations difficulties. Kjetil Olsen, economist at Market Nordea stated, “Norway’s economy isn’t in economic crisis” and does not see the “slowdown in the oil sector negatively affecting other sectors in the country’s economy.” Thus tensions arise when it comes to demands for significant pay increases such as in the hospitality and restaurant sectors, which are out on strike and more specifically as can be seen in negotiations with the State that are proving to be complicated with a schism occurring at union level. Nonetheless other sectors (cleaning, finance etc.) have concluded their agreements without problems.
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