Forced mediation underway – industry holds its breath – E24

14,301 workers may go on strike from Sunday if the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and Norwegian Industry do not agree. The forced mediation in the front subject is underway.

Mediation formally began at 10 a.m., when National Mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland received Fellesforbundet leader Jørn Eggum and Norsk Industri’s acting CEO Knut Sunde at the Thon Hotel Opera in Oslo.

Ruland acknowledges that the situation is demanding with a backdrop of several years without a real wage increase and an expensive time that many feel on their wallets.

– The front subject is always difficult, a difficult settlement. Often perhaps also the most difficult of the year, said Ruland after welcoming the parties.

Knows the pressure

Sunde acknowledges that they feel the pressure from outside. For many employees, an expectation of real wage growth this year has built up. Sunde says the mediation is characterized by the parties being open and honest with each other.

– At the same time, there are matters on which we strongly disagree, there are matters that are unclear and that always creates fertile ground for discussion. Now we have four days to sort things out, he said.

Most frontline settlements go to compulsory mediation. The mediation deadline ends at midnight on the night of Sunday 7 April.

Could be a general strike

If the parties do not agree, 14,301 of the Federation’s members in 134 companies will go on strike. The resignation notice from the Swedish Confederation includes, among other things, 2,100 employees in Aker Solutions at eight different locations, as well as a number of other employees in oil-related companies. When asked what kind of strategy Fellesforbundet has put in place when it comes to dismissals, Eggum replied:

– No, nothing other than that this will be strongly felt. This is a locomotive that runs well.

The settlement between Parat and Norsk industri has also gone to compulsory mediation, with the same deadline. Parat has notified resignations for 1,064 employees in 15 companies.