News, Economy | These Bergen companies may end up in a general strike: – Hope the parties come to an agreement

Industrial leaders in Bergen are shaking in the pants after there was a breach in the wage settlement between the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions and Norwegian Industry.

14,000 may be taken out on strike from Sunday, including 315 workers at the engine factory at Hordvikneset.

– Like everyone else, we hope that the parties will reach an agreement and that there will be no strike. Should there be a strike, we will deal with it and close down the areas of the business that are covered by the strike, says director Jon Erik Røv at Bergen Engines.

Forced mediation

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and Norwegian Industry must resort to forced mediation to settle this year’s wage settlement in the frontline profession.

Forced mediation with national mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland begins on Wednesday. If the parties do not manage to agree there, there will be a general strike from 7 April.

The joint union warns that 14,301 workers may be taken out on strike if the mediation is unsuccessful.

These can be taken out on strike – see the full list below.

– This first withdrawal will contribute to an effective strike that will hit the employer side hard. Should we end up in conflict, there will be more withdrawals, says Fellesforbundet leader Jørn Eggum in a press release.

Front subject settlements usually go to forced mediation. The mediation deadline ends at midnight on Saturday 6 April.

Fearing a full stop

– A strike would largely mean a complete stop in our operations, so we hope there won’t be a strike. The parties will mediate until Sunday and we hope they will find a solution, says CEO Arild Apelthun at Beerenberg Services AS in Kokstad.

The company has 244 employees who could potentially be involved in a conflict.

– We experienced a short strike last year, so it hasn’t been that long since the last one. We’ll see how this goes. Strikes are not particularly useful from an operational perspective. But we must respect the rules of the game in working life, says Apelthun to BA.

Maritime Construction Solutions AS branch Laksevåg has 25 members who can be ordered out on strike. This applies to everything from supervisors to workers in welding, sheet metal work and painting.

– A strike will have relatively large consequences for us. We deliver to the offshore industry and have rigs for quays. These have a time limit on how long they can stay here, preferably 14 to 45 days. A one-week strike can destroy an entire mission for us, says general manager Chris Andre Kjærland Midttveit.

134 companies may be affected

There are employees in 134 companies who may be called out on strike on Sunday. The notice covers, among other things, 2,100 employees in Aker Solutions.

The joint federation has notified a total of 32,108 members who are on the collective agreement Industrial Agreement to resign.

The federal union has entered into the settlement with demands for, among other things, an increase in real wages and further and continuing education reform.

At Bergen Engines, plans are now being made to deal with a possible strike:

– We will continuously assess whether other areas of the business can continue work in a safe and economical way, or whether redundancies will be necessary. A layoff notice has already been sent out, but this is normal procedure and we are betting that we will not have to take this measure, says Jon Erik Røv.

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