– I have thought for a long time that I would resign, but I was hoping for an improvement. That’s what Emma Eilertsen says. Almost three weeks ago, she handed in her resignation to the hairdressing salon where she worked. The reason for the dismissal was both the salary and the working environment. And she is not alone. In recent weeks, seven of her colleagues have also resigned. Because even though the workplace had a collective agreement, the employer has not followed it. This has led to the employees being paid too little, according to the union. – It is disgusting to know that even though I was unionised, and that there was a collective agreement at the company, I had to fight to get the money I was supposed to have, says Eilertsen. She is not alone. Tonje-Mari Solli resigned from her job because she did not receive the supplements she was entitled to. She is not alone, says the Trade Union. Photo: Monica White Martinsen / news Tonje-Mari Solli has worked as a hairdresser since 2009. She started at Kry in 2014. For many of those years, she has been underpaid. – You look back at what you were entitled to, but didn’t get. It’s not right, she says. At Kry hairdresser in Bodø, a number of employees have quit their jobs. The owner does not want to comment on the criticism. Photo: Kristin Thrane / news Several of the hairdressers were organized before they quit their jobs. They had had enough of the many years without the allowances they were entitled to. – I have clearly lost money. I haven’t been able to sit down to calculate it, because it’s a lot, says Solli. She was already organized. But she is not in the majority. The battle for the collective agreement In Norway, only 20 percent of all hairdressers are organised, according to the trade union. Of those again, roughly half have collective agreements. But even those who have a collective agreement do not always get what they are entitled to: – It is of course very frustrating, both for the hairdressers and us as a trade union, to have to fight that battle time and time again about what is actually in the collective agreement. That’s what Vivian Jacobsen, head of the hairdressers’ trade union, says. Leader of the Hairdressing Trade Union, Vivian Jacobsen. Photo: PRIVAT When hairdressers receive a commission, several employers believe that they are not entitled to additional supplements. That’s not true, emphasizes Jacobsen – Our members feel that even though they have a collective agreement, they don’t get what they should have. What is in the hairdressers’ collective agreement The collective agreement has been concluded between NHO/NHO Service and Trade and LO/Fagforbundet and applies to employees in organized hairdressing companies or companies linked to the agreement. Supplement for inconvenient working hours The agreement states, among other things, that those who will work after 19:00 on weekdays and 15:00 on Saturdays will receive an additional supplement per hour. They are then entitled to NOK 40 per hour for skilled and unskilled hairdressers and NOK 32 per hour for auxiliary workers and apprentices. Overtime work For overtime work, an overtime supplement must be paid in addition to salary. Then there is talk of 50 per cent in the first two hours. After the two hours and on Sundays (and public holidays), the hairdressers will receive a 100 per cent supplement. (Tariff agreement 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2024) Similar matters have been up for discussion in the past. Last spring, there was a storm around the restaurant chain Olivia, when they were criticized for not having a collective agreement. Jacobsen highlights several similarities between the hairdressing and restaurant industries. – There are many young people, partly high turnover and low level of organisation. And then there are some unscrupulous employers. It goes beyond the entire industry, she believes. – This is an industry that struggles with recruitment. There are many who quit and there are few young people who start. Then it must be in the industry’s own interest to clean this up. – Have received some back pay After the hairdressers gathered in the trade union, and quit their jobs, they have been paid back some of what they believe they were entitled to. Six of the employees were repaid approximately half a million kroner for the past three years. – I have received something in arrears, but not quite what we had demanded, says hairdresser Solli. Emma Eilertsen has also been paid in arrears. news has been in contact with the owner of Kry hairdresser, Diana Jakobsen, who has been presented with the criticism. She does not want to give a comment to news. To Bodø Now, Jakobsen says: – This is difficult for me personally and not least what characterizes KRY – quality, care and a genuine desire to make a difference both for my employees and our customers. It is important to me to maintain a professional and respectful working environment, and I have always worked to treat my colleagues in a fair and supportive way, she writes. Far from everyone has a tariff Kry is a member of the industry organization Norwegian hairdressers and wellness companies in NHO. – Of the hairdressing businesses that are organized at NHO, we find that laws and regulations are followed, but it is regrettable when this does not happen. In addition, there are many others who follow the provisions of the collective agreement, even if they are not bound by the collective agreement. That’s what Anne Mari Halsan writes in an e-mail to news. She is the managing director of the trade association. They have around 1,400 member companies. According to her, 19 per cent of these are bound by collective agreements, while many others follow them, even though they don’t have to. – Commission reward is not dealt with in the collective agreement, but is the usual salary system in the industry. The hairdressers who produce above a certain limit will receive a percentage commission on their turnover for the month. In this way, the salary is a result of production, while the collective agreement rates are a guaranteed minimum wage.
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The employees resigned when Kry hairdresser in Bodø did not follow the collective agreement – news Nordland
