– The overalls are very tight where he shouldn’t be. There is not exactly room for the hips. Jannicke Ness is in full swing in the Aker Solutions workshop at Ågotnes, west of Bergen. Here she has worked as a mechanic for three years, together with many other female colleagues. All the time in clothes made for men. – I have rolled up the sleeves, because they are far too long. And then I have to hold my trousers up, because the elastic in the waist is not where it should be, explains Ness. Jannicke Ness has to put on an extra plastic glove to do parts of her job. Now she hopes the new clothes will be better adapted to her body and her work tasks. Photo: Therese Pisani / news Narrower trouser legs and shorter sleeves Aker Solutions is now taking action and making completely new work clothes for men, women and pregnant women. On order from the manufacturer Victoria in Bergen, the red work clothes are to be replaced with new ones in blue and yellow. On the women’s model, the elastic is placed higher in the waist, the trouser legs are narrower, and the arms are shorter. – It is very good that I finally get new clothes. But I’m in 2022, so I think it should be in place before then. There have been women in the industry for a long time, says Ness. Jannicke Ness got to try on the prototype of the new work clothes for Aker Solutions. For the New Year, they have ordered around 5,000 copies. Photo: Synne Sørenes / news Never had women’s work clothes Aker Solutions’ history goes back to 1841, when Aker’s mechanical workshop opened in Oslo. According to the company itself, women have worked in the industry since its inception. That would mean 181 years. The company now has 15,000 employees worldwide. 18 percent of them are women and no one has had work clothes adapted to the female body, until now. – Why haven’t they done this before? – It is difficult to say for sure. We are a male-dominated profession. It may not have been the big need, says warehouse manager at Aker Solutions, Edgar Damås. Women have worked at Aker since the start in 1841, according to the company itself. Here are workers at a concert, in work clothes, at the Aker mechanical workshop in Oslo, 1947. Aker developed into one of Norway’s largest companies. Here are workers at the shipyard at Stord in Sunnhordland in 1997. – Scots-proof vest with room for nipples At the end of September, the problem of adapted work clothes was debated in Dagsnytt 18. Commentator in Agenda magazine, Helle Cecilie Palmer, thought that standard clothing in workplaces is made for the male body , and is therefore not “unisex”, or for both sexes. – If a male police officer was handed a bulletproof vest with room for a nipple, and called it “unisex”, then people would have reacted, she said during the debate. Palmer had previously written a comment in Dagsavisen, where she referred to the online newspaper Fri Fagbevegelse’s case that female temporary workers were burned due to unisex clothing. On 21 September, Helle Cecilie Palmer was a commentator in Agenda magazine on Dagsnytt 18. – You should feel welcome – You should have suitable work clothes that you feel comfortable in. It is your workplace, you should feel welcome, says Cay Nordhaug, in the union Industry Energy. They have worked actively to adapt work clothes into the collective agreements of their members, so that it is the employer’s responsibility to offer suitable work clothes. In 2020, they negotiated demands for gender-appropriate work and protective clothing in four collective agreements. – More and more women are entering the industry, which is fortunate. But there are a number of challenges with customized clothing, he says, adding that it is also about safety in the workplace. Have faith in more women At the workshop in Ågotnes, female workers are far from a rare sight. Jannicke Ness is happy that her employer has taken her, and her colleagues, seriously. – It is very positive, especially considering that they want more women into the industry. They almost have to make adjustments to attract them too. Nevertheless, she has to wear the old, red suits for a few more months. The new clothes will not be ready for use until the new year.
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