Breaking the salary negotiations in the state

Wage negotiations with the state are broken and it is the turn of the national mediator. The trade unions are not closer to each other when it comes to how the salary supplements should be distributed.

Union’s state committee at work before the breach was a fact. – The state’s offer in the negotiations does not bring any improvements for Unio’s members, and then there would have to be a breach, says Unio’s negotiation leader Guro Lind.

Photo: Unio/Nora Sørensen

Last Monday, wage negotiations began in the state. Today, Tuesday afternoon, both Unio, Akademikerne, LO state and YS announce that they are breaking off negotiations with the state.

Among the largest trade unions at NTNU is NTL, which is part of LO state and mainly organizes technical-administrative employees. Many scientific employees are covered by Forskerforbundet, which is subordinate to Unio, and Tekna, which is subordinate to Akademikerne.

Differences between the unions

All trade unions say there have been too great distances from the employer. But that doesn’t mean they agree with each other.

Today, there are two agreement models in the state. The academics and Unio have an agreement model, YS and LO another.

The state wants everyone in one place. So will LO and YS. Unio and the Academics do not want that. They believe they get better terms for their members with their own, separate agreement.

The biggest difference between the two is that LO/YS is based on large, central supplements, while Unio/Akademikerne have more negotiations locally at institutions.

The parties must therefore meet at the Riksmekleren. The deadline for agreeing to the mediation is midnight on 23 May. The negotiations are to begin as early as May 2.

If there is no agreement here, it will possibly mean a strike in the state.

Believes the state has put too little on the table and been too busy with the agreement structure

Guro Lind, who is leader of the Swedish Research Association and head of negotiations for Unio, believes that the state has been too focused on getting everyone on board with an agreement structure.

– There was a breach because the state was not willing to put enough money on the table, says Lind in a press release.

The academics say the same.

Head of the State Academy, Kari Tønnessen Nordli.

Photo: Tobias Willumstad

– We went into these negotiations with a clear demand to maintain our agreement model. The state wanted to force everyone into an agreement. We could not participate in that, therefore we are breaking off the negotiations, says Kari Tønnessen Nordli, head of the Academics’ Union in a press release that the trade union has published.

Among other things, they want to negotiate locally.

– In experience, central distribution of salary funds has never paid off for our members, who have master’s education. We believe the local parties have better conditions for carrying out negotiations, says Nordli.

She has previously announced that the Academics are willing to go on strike to keep their own model.

LO state says the state wanted too much local negotiation

Egil André Aas, head of LO Stat, says on the other hand that they are breaking off the negotiations because the state wanted much of the wage pot to be negotiated locally.

LO Stats’ main demand in this year’s settlement is, firstly, that all members are looked after through a fair distribution of wages. Something they believe is best achieved through a large general addition to everyone.

– All experience shows that it is through the largest possible central supplement that we achieve the best and fairest distribution. The state’s wish, however, is for much of the wage bill to be negotiated locally. It does not result in less, but greater inequality. We could not accept that, he says.

Egil André Aas, head of LO Stat.

Photo: LO state

Having to go to the Ombudsman has become the rule rather than the exception

Aas believes the state deserves praise for having shown a greater willingness to negotiate than in previous main tariff settlements, but far from enough when it comes to distribution.

– I know that I am getting frustrated that we have to go to the Ombudsman once again. It has become the rule rather than the exception. I think that’s a shame, he says.

YS also thinks it is a shame that they did not agree on a joint agreement.

The state has negotiated together with all the main associations with the aim of one agreement. However, it was not possible to negotiate a solution that all the main associations could support. He also says that they experienced the state as accommodating on several points.

– We believe we are stronger together, and want to find solutions that take care of all the groups together, explains Jens B Jahren, head of YS Stat in the press release they have published to announce the breach.