Norway: in the face of the oil crisis, unity is sacrosanct

Redundancy announcements in the oil sector continue and Statoil is no exception since a global cost cutting program it launched several years ago ahead of consequences from the expected oil crisis and the development of renewable energy sources. In order to withstand the crisis that is seriously affecting Norway’s oil dependent economy, on 07 January the country’s social partners LO (Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions) and NHO (employers’ body) announced their willingness to collaborate in the upcoming years over safeguarding the Norwegian labor market together. In front of what they expect to be a number of tough years ahead, the social partners want to reproduce a solidarity agreement along the lines of a previously successful experience during the nineties.
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Consequences of the oil sector’s difficulties. Statoil in continuing with its cost cutting policy that includes making workers redundant. 1,900 jobs were lost in 2014 and more than 500 external consultancy contracts were terminated in 2015. Statoil has now announced that it is offering all of its 22,000 employees the opportunity to leave the company with a very attractive financial package in an effort to cut another 7% off its employee numbers.

More generally, the oil sector is suffering and th

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