The LO Congress has been going on all this week at the People’s House in Oslo. On Friday, LO’s most powerful body adopts a new action program for the next four years. The 315 delegates in the LO Congress voted for the introduction of a new AFP model to give more employees the right to a contractual pension. This is AFP contractual pension (AFP) so the light of day in the tariff settlement in 1988. Initially, it was a pure early retirement scheme. The purpose was to give tired workers the opportunity to step down to the retirement age of 67 years. In line with the pension reform, the AFP scheme was changed from 2011, from being an early retirement scheme to providing lifelong premiums to the old-age pension from the National Insurance Scheme-without reduction in the event of income-generating work. In order to get AFP, one must be employed in a company that is affiliated with the scheme for at least seven of the last nine years before the age of 62, be employed for at least 20 per cent position and employed in an AFP company in the last three years before withdrawal. There is also AFP in the public sector. There is either early retirement from 62 to 67 years, or a lifelong payment you can withdraw with retirement pension. Which AFP you have depends on when you are born. (Source: NTB, news, the State Pension Fund) At the same time, LO has also decided to work for a complete, financial boycott of the State of Israel, with 240 votes for economic boycott, and 69 votes against. The LO leader did not want to expand a boycott-we will work for Norway at the forefront of an international economic boycott of Israel, says LO leader Kine Vistnes to the press from the pulpit. To news, however, she acknowledges that she voted against the majority proposal on financial boycott. Vistnes emphasizes that she supports the Congress’s decision. The Joint Federation’s deputy leader Kine Asper Vistnes is elected new LO leader under Los 36. Ordinary Congress in the People’s House Thursday after The scheme will also be strengthened, while the financing is secured and expanded. -This decision is an obligation between us the unions that we will come together in the fight against a strengthened AFP scheme. This is stated by the deputy leader of LO’s largest union, the trade union, Anne Green Nilsen. The trade union has long fought for a radical change in the AFP scheme. Why is LO important? What is LO? LO is an abbreviation for the national organization. It is an employee organization. This means that there is a place that people who work can organize together to stand stronger to employers. Where many members have LO? LO themselves state that they have over a million members. The members are divided into 23 unions, depending on what they are working on. The clearest union is by far the union. It has members who work with health and many tasks within the municipalities. What does LO do? The most important thing is that they negotiate wages on behalf of those who work. Either the entire LO or the various unions individually.LO also fights for workers’ rights in a number of areas. Among the most well -known areas are sick pay, working hours and the right to permanent work. Is it only LO that represents the workers? No. There are several others. The largest are Unio, YS and the Academics. They have around 850,000 members combined. Since LO is the largest, it is often those who are most heard. It is also LO who negotiates what is called the front subjects. The result there is most often what others also get in wage increases. Is important in politics? LO has over 100 years stood close to the Labor Party (Ap). The leader of LO always sits on Aps powerful central board. The leader also leads to chair the nomination committee when the AP is to choose new leaders. LO also gives many millions of NOK to Ap, especially in elections. This year, the LO management has proposed to provide NOK 20 million in support to Aps election campaign. In this way, they will change the AFP scheme AFP is a favorable pension scheme that few employees have had access to. In the proposal that Congress today decides, it says: Employees who have reached fifty years must maintain rights that follow from the current scheme. They will also be able to receive AFP according to the current scheme if they have at least 18 years of earning in tariff -bound business together and have a minimum of 7 years between 50 and 62 years. LO will further strengthen the AFP scheme by the fact that employees in tariff -bound businesses are working up a right to AFP, based on the number of years in the business. LO also wants the disabled to have a right to AFP, based on earnings up to the time of disability. Anne Green Nilsen believes that today’s outcome is a victory for LO’s younger members. – It will give more collective bargaining agreements, a more fair pension scheme and a pension to live off – also for new generations of workers, says the deputy head and continues: – This gives us the best starting point for further negotiations with the employer side and the government. Many people in LO have for a long time wanted to change the AFP scheme to ensure that more people are offered such a pension. But not everyone has agreed. Want to introduce complete Israel boycott the LO congress also voted for a highly expanded boycott of Israel. If the occupation of Palestinian areas does not cease by September this year, Norway should initiate an international boycott, according to the decision. Many have struggled to withdraw the pension fund from Israel. Here from a Pro-Palestina demonstration in Kristiansand in 2024. Photo: Tor Erik Schroder / NTB The decision means that LO now requires that the Government Pension Fund Global, Norwegian companies and financial institutions withdraw from companies contributing to the Israeli occupation. Lo will therefore fight for the government to change the view of the Israel-Palestine war. In the decision it also states that there must be a legislative ban on such trade and investment: LO requires that the Norwegian authorities work to end Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza. If the occupation is not completed by September 2025, LO will work for Norway to initiate an international economic boycott. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s May 1 speech was interrupted by Palestinian protesters. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB The parties in contravention of the decision SV tribute to the desire for complete Israel boycott:-This is a historical decision of a LO congress that understands the seriousness of the situation and the time we live in, says party leader Kirsti Bergstø. Bergstø also says that SV has proposals for treatment in the Storting now that will do just as LO wants. – We encourage the Labor Party to listen to LO and support our proposals, she continues. But everyone is not as happy. FRP deputy leader Hans Andreas Limi believes Los boycott makes it demanding to contribute to a solution to the conflict. -Frp does not support a unilateral boycott of Israel and unfortunately we must note that the government’s Middle East policy has deprived us of any opportunity to contribute to a solution to the conflict. KrF’s party leader Dag-Inge Ulstein is also critical, calling the publisher “exceptionally bad”. -LO’s proposal means that Norway is on the same political line as Iran and North Korea. Ulstein says economic boycott and insulation is not an effective way to peace in the Middle East. – It is only an effective measure for Norway to not have any role in building peace in the region. Fearing poorer scheme Some of the problem with today’s AFP scheme is that it only includes some of the country’s workers. There are many people in LO who want more people to participate in the scheme. As LO’s largest union Trade Union, who wants to give all tariff-bound workers AFP pension. The skepticism of full AFP reform is greatest in the industry, among the members of the Fellesforbundet, the Food and Nice Workers’ Union and the EL & IT association in the private sector. The Fellesforbundet, Norway’s largest trade union in the private sector, fears that the scheme will be less favorable if more people are allowed to participate in it. The union has many employees in the industry who benefit from today’s AFP scheme. They have wanted to keep the current scheme, with some adjustments. The leader of the Joint Federation, Jørn Eggum. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB Published 09.05.2025, at. 08.32 Updated 09.05.2025, at. 16.52
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