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ITF comment on Norway national strike tomorrow

17/01/12

ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) general secretary David Cockroft commented today ahead of tomorrow’s national strike in Norway. He said:

“Norway’s workers and their unions are upholding principles that are meant to lie at the heart of European legislation – equal treatment and equal pay for equal work. They are also defending the principle of subsidiarity: that the EU can only act to improve laws and conditions, not undermine existing legislation that is doing the job better.”

“The fact is that Norway’s legislation on contract labour and temporary employment is some of the best there is. That makes it worth defending.”

“The directive doesn’t just risk taking a good law and making it mediocre, it could also strip the rights currently enjoyed by workers and open the floodgates to their replacement by precariously employed temporary and agency staff – who will themselves get inferior employment protection.”

ITF president Paddy Crumlin said: "Norway's unions and workers are stepping up to defend legislation that does the job it's meant to. and should be the applicable model for workers, not only in Europe but worldwide."

He concluded: "The EU is meant to back equal treatment and equal pay for equal work. This action is a timely reminder that it needs to uphold those principles in Norway and elsewhere."

Background
Tomorrow’s national strike in Norway is against the government’s planned implementation of the EU Temporary and Agency Workers Directive into Norwegian law. Currently, the Working Environment Act, brought in in 1994, lays down that permanent employment is the main rule in Norway, with strict exemptions for the use of contract labour and temporary employment.

Unions believe that the implementation of the Temporary and Agency Workers Directive will undermine Norwegian Labour laws and introduce the large scale use of temporary and agency workers. This would force out permanent workers, weaken workers' rights and collective agreements.

The Directive also gives the EU/EFTA Court the final authority over Norwegian legislation. Norwegian trade unions oppose this, and want the government to make a decision to veto this directive. This position has been adopted by the large majority of unions within the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), who want their government to reject the directive and introduce laws to ensure that wages and working conditions for those who are hired are the same as the permanent employees.

13 main cities where rallies are being held tomorrow
Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund, Tromsø, Gjøvik, Raufoss, Fredrikstad, Arendal, Porsgrunn and Sarpsborg

Definition of subsidiarity
By the European Union agency Eurofond: “The subsidiarity principle is based on the idea that decisions must be taken as closely as possible to the citizen: the Union should not undertake action (except on matters for which it alone is responsible) unless EU action is more effective than action taken at national, regional or local level.”
www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/industrialrelations/dictionary/definitions/subsidiarity.htm

ENDS

For more information contact ITF press officer, Sam Dawson.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260.
Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:
HEAD OFFICE
ITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DS
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871
Email: mail@itf.org.uk
Web: www.itfglobal.org

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