The next wage settlement will not start until March, but the parties have already begun preparations. The Central Association of Municipalities (KS) has sent out a debate booklet to all municipalities and county councils. There they have asked for input on which groups should be prioritized this year. The Education Confederation is strongly provoked, and believes that the employers’ association KS is once again proposing that groups other than teachers should be prioritized in the salary settlement. – We are reacting to the fact that schools and teachers are practically not mentioned at all, says Solveig Hals, leader of the Education Association in Telemark. County leader Solveig Hals of the Education Association says the members are ready to strike. She believes the booklet can give the impression that the situation in Norwegian schools is rosy. – Do you fear new conflict? – Yes I do. Two strikes were stopped Both teacher strikes in the last two years ended with a forced wage board. Last year, the strike lasted from 8 June to 27 September. The conflict between the teachers and KS was steep and deadlocked for a long time before the government intervened with the wage board. The background was, among other things, a report from FHI which showed that 14,000 pupils risked a worsening of psychological challenges. What the teachers will receive in kroner and øre in last year’s salary settlement has not yet been decided. – Know many people who are struggling. In the last three years, students have had to deal with both a pandemic and two teacher strikes. Porsgrunn upper secondary school was one of the schools affected by the strike this autumn. Pupils at the school cannot bear the thought of a new one. – It’s a disaster if it happens again – especially if it’s the same people who get hit again, says Kalle Bredegg Hermansen, deputy chairman of the school environment committee at Porsgrunn upper secondary school. Kalle Bredegg Hermansen at Porsgrunn upper secondary school believes that a possible new strike will be devastating. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news The strike meant that the first-graders missed the start of the new school, and in the time since, the students have had to make up for lost lessons. Hermansen believes that the school environment has deteriorated in the time since then and that people have become less interested in being at school. If the wage settlement ends in conflict and strikes again this year, he is afraid it will be as devastating as the pandemic. – I know many people who are struggling. A strike will affect the school environment, teaching and students psychologically. Behind closed doors On Thursday, the chairmanship in Porsgrunn discussed the booklet from KS about this year’s pay settlement and made suggestions about who they think should get a pay rise this year. It took place behind closed doors. The Education Association in Telemark reacts and believes that the citizens have the right to know what priorities the politicians are making. – Secrecy is silly and does not create trust, says leader Solveig Hals, Mayor Robin Kåss in Porsgrunn dismisses the criticism. – It is strange that they do not have open meetings themselves, but want to participate in the preparations that the employer side has. Will go far Regional director Inger Lysa in KS in Vestfold and Telemark says some municipalities choose to be open about their priorities – others do not. They are allowed to do this, but KS does not make any recommendations, she says. – As an employer, the municipality has the opportunity to choose its strategies and have internal discussions without it having to be open and accessible to everyone. Regional director Inger Lysa in KS says municipalities have the right to choose whether they want to provide access or not. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news Lysa says there are big differences in the country, but that it is primarily in health and care that the municipalities struggle the most with recruitment. Therefore, some of these groups are mentioned specifically in the booklet from KS. She says KS will go to great lengths to find a negotiated solution. – If the teachers were to go on strike in 2023 as well, it is primarily the teachers who must bear that responsibility. Believes in a new strike Head of the Education Association, Steffen Handal, does not like that the politicians are not open about their priorities. Steffen Handal in the Norwegian Education Association believes that KS is underestimating the seriousness of the situation. Photo: Håvard Grønli / news – I think closed meetings are behind the scenes and go against the principle of an open discussion. I fear they are trying to hide what they mean. After two strikes that have ended in a forced pay committee, and open conflict between KS and the teachers’ organisations, he makes no secret of the fact that the teachers have high expectations for this year’s pay settlement. – There is reason to believe that we will end up in a strike, but I don’t want to preempt it. We are going to the negotiating table to find a solution, and we want to avoid a strike, says Steffen Handal, head of the Education Association. SAVE THE EXAM: Kalle Bredegg Hermansen, Andrea Henke-Busch, Awin Henareh and Kristian Brokeland Holst have never had an exam in their almost three years at upper secondary school and are afraid they will lose it this year too. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news
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– Disaster if it happens – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
