After 11 hours of overtime mediation, HK Norway and Virke finally agreed. HK Norway got through the demand for increased purchasing power.
HK Norway also stepped in with important demands to frame Sunday as the different day. We have now received approval for this with an addition for Sunday work. Together with plans for an ambitious skills reform for the trade and service industry, this settlement is a good result.
HK agreed with Virke on this:
Payment:
Minimum wage rates applicable from 1 April.
| 2023 | 2024 | |||
| Month | Hour | Month | Hour | |
| Salary step 1 | NOK 27,874.00 | NOK 171.53 | NOK 28,849.00 | NOK 177.53 |
| Salary step 2 | NOK 28,012.00 | NOK 172.38 | NOK 28,987.00 | NOK 178.38 |
| Salary level 3 (25 years) | NOK 28,350.00 | NOK 174.46 | NOK 29,325.00 | NOK 180.46 |
| Salary step 4 | NOK 29,258.00 | NOK 180.05 | NOK 30,233.00 | NOK 186.05 |
| Salary step 5 | NOK 31,655.00 | NOK 194.80 | NOK 33,117.50 | NOK 203.80 |
| Salary step 6 | NOK 37,882.00 | NOK 233.12 | NOK 39,905.13 | NOK 245.57 |
We have minimum wage rates together with Virke, and the new changes to these are as follows:
A general addition of NOK 4.
Steps 1-4 increase by NOK 6 (including general surcharge)
Step 5 increases by NOK 9 (including general surcharge).
Step 6 increases by NOK 12.45.
Minutes will be posted as soon as we have this signed and ready.
Competence
Virke and HK Norway reached an agreement on competence which makes this settlement historic. The skills reform that has been agreed applies to the trade and service industries in Norway. It emphasizes lifelong learning and skills development adapted to the needs of the affected industries in working life.
Virke and HK Norway will cooperate on the following:
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Follow-up of the Skills Reform Committee: The government and the parties will assess funding models for further and further education that support lifelong learning. HK Norway and Virke expect this to be followed up in the trade and service industries as well.
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Strengthening the competence offer: Includes the establishment of a national competence portal, development of vocational school offers specifically for the trade and service industries, and strengthening of real competence assessments.
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Cooperation on competence development: The parties will work for better targeted use of existing funds, as well as arrange conferences and carry out training to promote competence development in the workplace.
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Committee work: A committee will assess actual needs and challenges in the industries, assess the establishment and administration of a skills fund, and adapt the government’s skills reform to the needs of the industries.
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Industry programme: The parties must jointly initiate and apply for a publicly funded tripartite industry program for the agreement area.
The reform work is to start in October 2024 at the latest and is planned to be well integrated into the collective agreement in 2026.
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This agreement represents a decisive step towards ensuring that every single employee in the trade and service industries has access to relevant and up-to-date expertise, which is particularly important in the industries that are affected here, says union leader Christopher Beckham
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The skills reform is not only an investment in today’s employees, but also a preparation for tomorrow’s challenges. It ensures that Norway will be at the forefront of competence development within the trade and service sector, says Beckham
Sunday
Sunday as the different day is important for HK Norway, and is about protecting employees’ free time. We believe that those who have to work when others have time off should be properly compensated.
Sunday is one of the few days when the children are not at school and most of the community has a day off. In addition, the day has a central place in volunteering and sport. We also know that the industry does not want more Sunday opening, but it has still been a long time coming for the employers. In the end, we ended up with five kroner extra for work on Sunday, and thus the Sunday supplement now amounts to kroner 115.
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Employees must be properly compensated for work outside the normal working day. On Sundays, the children are at home, and most people in society have time off. Those who have to work when others are eating Sunday dinner must be properly compensated, says union leader Christopher Beckham
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This is a fundamentally important matter for us. It is good to have the supplement strengthened,
but I’m disappointed that we didn’t get further on Sunday this time, says Christopher Beckham
Seniority supplement
Agreement to work for a seniority supplement for employees who have been with the company for a long time. This will be worked on until the summer of 2025 and will apply to those with 10 and 15 years of seniority.
