With quick steps, Marit Waag rushes to the toilet with a stroke patient. It is a busy morning at the hospital in Ålesund. – I don’t want to say that I came as a gift from God today, but I came as a helping hand, laughs the 65-year-old. Waag has retired, but is taking shifts to fill the hole in the roster. All over the country there is a crying shortage of nurses. The pensioners are called the reserve force or the gray gold. The nurse has worked in the healthcare system for 40 years and now has a 19.9 percent position. That’s how much he can work without being drawn into a pension. During the pandemic, it became clear how important retired health personnel were to get the wheels turning. Now several are threatening to quit because of a bill from the government, which means that wages will be significantly reduced. Marit Waag is a specialist nurse and earns NOK 584 an hour on a late shift at the weekend. On Christmas Day, she can earn NOK 820 an hour. With a pensioner’s salary of NOK 233 an hour, it will not be very lucrative to take shifts. – It is uninteresting. Then I just stop. They call it senior salary, I call it half price nurse, says Waag. She receives an evening supplement on top of her pensioner’s salary, but she still thinks it is too little. Marit Waag has 40 years of experience in the healthcare system. She is a specialist nurse and has also taught nursing students. Photo: Remi Sagen / news May be an exception for nurses The new Pensions Act must ensure that part-time employees in the public sector receive a pension from the first hour of work, and must not have more than 20 per cent of their position as today. – The important thing about the law is to ensure the 25,000 who work part-time a higher pension when they retire, says State Secretary Tomas Norvoll in the Ministry of Labor and Inclusion. The bill will have consequences for retired nurses who will thus be drawn into pensions. The alternative then is to work on a pensioner’s salary. Following concerns from the Nurses’ Association, Storting politicians have received a majority to ask for a solution, so that Marit Waag and the other pensioners can continue in their jobs. – Retired nurses have been a very important resource for the Norwegian healthcare system, and especially in the rural areas, says Per Vidar Kjølmoen (Ap) in the Labor and Social Committee. They ask the government to find an arrangement for the nurses. This means that the law can be put into effect from 1 July 2024 at the earliest. Happy that they can count on the pensioners 45 pensioners are on the payroll of Helse Møre og Romsdal in a 19.9 per cent position. They fill gaps in the duty schedule during the day, evening, night and weekend. The health insurance company feared that they could not use the pensioners after the new year because of the new law. After the politicians’ turnaround, they can now count on the pensioners for the next six months. – They have great expertise and experience and are an important resource for us, says HR Director Kjetil Lundberg. Kjetil Lundberg is HR director at Helse Møre og Romsdal. He says that pensioners are an important resource. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Want to work even more In the patient room, Marit Waag shows a group of students how to use a bladder scanner. She has previously taught nursing students and likes to share her knowledge. She thinks it is fantastic that the politicians are now doing a complete turnaround and can perhaps ensure that she gets to keep her salary, while the young people in part-time positions are being detained. – It’s a great idea. I don’t understand that they didn’t figure it out earlier. I reckon the politicians have got their act together and talked about what are smart measures to get adequate staffing in the health sector, says Waag. She believes that the politicians should ensure that she can also expand her position to 30 per cent, without losing her pension. – I would have liked to have worked two days a week. I have the health for that, says Waag. The bill will be considered on 7 November. The pensioner enjoys busy working days, but is no longer able to work full time. She could easily have thought of working two days a week without it going beyond her pension. Photo: Remi Sagen / news
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Retired nurse Marit Waag refuses to work for retirement pay – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
