On 10 November negotiations concluded between the union confederation LO and the employers body NHO on renewing the collective negotiations framework agreement (hovedavtalen). Dating back to 1935 this agreement is seen as the ‘base for occupational regulations’, according to LO president, Hans Cristian Gabrielse and it is reviewed every four years. The agreement does not address salaries but does regulate procedures to undertake in cases of disputes, employment termination conditions, company obligations, as well as cooperation and especially co-determination provisions. This time round the social partners made some ‘small but significant’ changes to conditions related to the union representative mandates and to rules surrounding the signing of written protocols, especially when negotiations break down. This agreement affects almost 345,000 employees in 12,000 companies and will run until 2021.
More rights for union representatives. “The framework agreement regulates the rights and working conditions of union representatives and we always aim to improve such provisions. This time we secured some small but significant changes in their working conditions,” welcomes Hans Cristian Gabrielse:
- Union representatives will have the right to lockable lockers and wardrobes, and access to a telephone as well as all other appropriate communications equipment within the company.
- Meetings will have
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