One of the most unusual and awkward strikes in Norway was settled this week, after trade union confederation LO gave in to the demands of one of its own largest trade unions, Handel og Kontor. The strike had left LO in the role of an employer resisting its own members’ demands.
LO is an umbrella organization for several labour organizations, and Handel og Kontor didn’t think its members had been granted as good pay deals as other unions under the umbrella. LO had refused to share pay statistics with Handel og Kontor, prompting its leaders to call members out on strike on November 14.
The strike thus pitted one labour organization against another but LO now has agreed to give Handel og Kontor full insight into what pay and benefits deals other unions have negotiated on behalf of their staffs. LO also agreed to an across-the-board raise of NOK 12,000 for some Handel og Kontor employees and a 2.9 percent pay hike for others.
“Handel og Kontor has shown, through this strike, that we will take up the fight for our members no matter which employer we face,” union leader Bjørn Mietinen told news bureau NTB. Employees went back to work on Thursday.
newsinenglish.no staff
