Biggest strike in 30 years underway

A number of nursing and nursing homes will be affected beginning the first day. Photo: Tor G. Stenersen

The biggest strike in 30 years affects municipalities across the country from Friday morning. Around 18,000 organized withdrawn in protest of poor women and equal pay offer from local government employers.

Kindergartens and schools closed doors, exams will be discontinued and a variety of nursing and nursing homes will be affected the first day. In addition to the approximately 17,000 municipal employees are finding that a strike watch and picket, it means the break between Spekter and nurses that a further 940 employees at the largest hospitals take action.

The break in the mediation after 13 hours of overtime Thursday, a couple of hours after the parties in the state came to terms with a total budget of 3.3 percent and a separate equal pay pot. County negotiators were waiting for the decision in the state, but the scheme in the government sector was not up to the municipal sector.

Unsolved Oslo

Oslo kommune is a separate negotiation area that has brokered in parallel with the rest of the local government sector and the state. Thursday night, almost one day of overtime, there was still no sign of solution for the organized trade union, LO, Union and Federation of Professional Associations in Oslo.

Negotiations continued at a hotel in the center, and mediator Geir Engebretsen said that the parties would use the time that was required. The conflict in the capital, the additional 2,500 employees went out on strike.

Trade union leader Jan Davidsen said after the break that it was impossible to accept the scheme of municipal organization KS. He was very critical of KS that they would not provide equal pay money centrally, as in the state, but clung to the principle of local distribution. Davidsen stated that municipalities have far more low-paid individuals than the government and that measures must be taken to equalize the level.

“ The offer from KS had neither the profile or size of the state settlement. KS had to give 400 million more if we were to come to the state settlement, subject to the specific conditions and the composition of employees in the municipal sector,” says Davidsen.

Declared

Negotiation Leader Per Kristian Sundnes in KS was dejected when he met the press after the break in the mediation. Quite categorically, he stressed that KS had given their wage settlements for their party was finalized.

“The expectations were too high, and there was lack of realism in the requirements,” he said.

Employers believe the equal pay proposal they offered was strong, and that a billion kroner was allocated to local negotiations. Sundnes regretted that it had created what he called “unrealistic expectations” of this wage settlement.

This was an equal pay proposal that would have hit very well. I am surprised that there were breaks, “said CEO Sigrun Vågeng of KS.

Many Norwegians will be affected by the strike when it starts Friday. Local Government Minister Liv-Signe Navarsete (Sp) was sorry for the inconvenience the strike will have on the individual in everyday life. Beyond that she would not say much.

State not a party

“It is not right of me to comment on an ongoing conflict that the state is not party to,” said Navarsete.

She adds that she has confidence that local authorities will do everything they can to bring life to noral for most people.

Neither party would say how long the conflict will continue or what it took for the strike to be called off. The question of the consequences for life and health will be assess by the National Board of Health from day to day. Authority advises health care minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen (Ap), which is the one who will eventually use compulsory arbitration to stop the strike.

Source:Aftenposten