Boycott local store in protest of upper management salaries – E24

Coop Midt-Norge manager's salary sparks local reactions. He thinks the salary is adequate, the boss responds.

Coop Midt-Norge's top manager, Torbjørn Skei, received NOK 12.3 million in 2023 including pension benefits and bonuses. appears in annual report.

– But with such a high salary, he becomes almost like a prince, says Eldar Taraldsen.

Taraldsen has now decided to boycott the local Coop Prix store.

“We have consumer power,” he says.

– It has been used by several generations

Taraldsen was so upset by the salary of the top management that he wrote an article in the Midtnorsk Debat. The post is titled “Thank you, Cobb».

“I didn't think many people would care, but I got an email from them saying this was their most-read column that day,” Taraldsen says.

– When you interrupt, it also affects whoever works in the store.

– Yes, that's not nice. There will always be dark sides in a situation like this. There are a lot of eel-like people who work in the store. The supreme boss was probably a snake as well. Probably the most eel that suffers from me. But growing wage disparities in the long run will mean that our society will rot from within.

Furthermore, Taraldsen says he can imagine that Skei probably takes on a lot of responsibility and works hard.

But he says he knows many others who work just as hard for a fraction of the same salary.

Unity, trust, and commitments collapse when differences grow. From a collectivistic, caring society where we stand up for each other, an “every man for himself culture” is something that will destroy what we have spent generations building.

– He says: – I am worried about what my grandchildren will feel and this is a bad social development.

Torbjørn Skei sent some criticism to Eldar Taraldsen, but does not wish to comment on the matter. He refers to the board when it comes to questions about his salary.

– I understand, of course, that some people can react to increasing wage differences in society, answers Toril Vala, President of Coop Midt-Norge.

Paycheck defense

Coop Norge itself writes that “more than 2.3 million people own a Coop through membership in one of 58 Coop co-ops.”

Coop Midt-Norge is a cooperative and is therefore a separate independent legal entity and has its own board of directors that determines the CEO's salary.

The newspaper online Provide an overview of the salaries of presidents in the cooperative.

Obviously, Skei earns more. He earns more than 2.5 times as much as the third man on the list: Yngve Haldorsen at Coop Nord. Halldorsen earns NOK 4.6 million.

Thus the head of Coop Midt-Norge received NOK 12.3 million.

– When millions are in the double digits, it's no wonder people react, says Taraldsen.

Coop Midt-Norge Chairman Valla explains the CEO salary as follows:

– Coop Midt-Norge is a large company with a turnover of NOK 8.7 billion, approximately 3,000 employees and several business areas. I realize CEO pay is an interesting thing, and we believe CEO pay reflects the scale and results of the company.

She thinks it's sad that Taraldsen is boycotting the convenience store because of this.

– Our company is a large company at the national level, and if you look at other companies with a turnover of approximately NOK 9 billion and with the results achieved, we believe that the salary is appropriate, says Vala.

– Social profile

Now Taraldsen will shop at Rema-1000 instead.

-Raitan earns a lot too, doesn't he?

– Yes, he earns a lot, but among other things, he sponsors a lot of popular football clubs and does a lot of socially useful things. “I have the impression that the whole family has a very social profile,” answers Taraldsen.