– Colleagues are next to each other or in the same office, have the same education, the same seniority and experience and have the same tasks. But with a different pay. We can't have it like that, as LO President Becky Hessen Folsvik addressed the LO delegation meeting in Oslo on Tuesday.
When Unio moved to the educators' contract in 2022, the two formed the largest union in the state. As a result, there were fewer people to participate in the distribution policy and ensure a fair wage for all, Følsvik maintains. With full control over the wage bill and local negotiations, the two organizations have “secured a significant pot, which is for a skewed distribution – in favor of the highest paid”, attacked the Low leader from the platform.
– Some think we are taking it too hard when we call such an attitude disjointed. But I had no other word to close the door till Class 1, he said.
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Among employees in the state, the average salary of Akademikarn and Unio members is NOK 30,000-40,000 higher than the salary of LO and YS members in the same work and education category. Statistics obtained by NTB from the LO program show that the difference is consistent, regardless of educational level.
– They don't want to share
In this year's key settlement, LO and YS sought a joint key fee agreement for all four unions in the state, and received some recognition from the state. They agreed to a collective agreement that allowed 75 percent of wages to be distributed locally. It is well known that the union and the academics chose to break arbitration and go on strike.
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– The demand of the academics and the Unio is that they do not have to share wages with our members. And it's not unity. This is not something we can accept, Folsvik said.
It is clear that the government and the government want to return to an arrangement with a collective agreement and maintain this position before and after the strike broke out two weeks ago. Since then, the educators' strike has been called off by the Compulsory Wage Board, while the union has maintained its strike.
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– An agreement that guarantees equal pay for equal work is the most important thing to us, no matter where you organize. Minister of Digitization and Governance Karianne Tung (AP) told NTB on Friday that the agreement between Akademikerné and Unio two years ago has expired and content must be renegotiated.
Condemned is right
The Conservative Party believes the government is dancing to LO's lead and has criticized the offer in key resolutions on several occasions this year. The attack from the right on the LO fort at Youngstorket had by no means gone unnoticed. The representatives of the Conservative Party have got it wrong on a very fundamental level, Følsvik believes.
– I don't know if they're being snarky on purpose, or if they're simply misrepresenting. Because our request is not for us to decide. Our demand is that everyone sit in the same room and have the same influence on wage policy in the state, remembering that the Conservative Party is generally reluctant to interfere in collective bargaining.
Academics and Unio have yet to respond to a request for reaction to NTB's criticism.
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