Barely any difference in pay between striking teachers and Oslo teachers who are at work – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

– There are two different tariff areas with two different systems. But in the main, we see that the salary change in Oslo and in KS is relatively similar, says Aina Skjefstad Andersen, head of negotiations at the Education Association, to news. The counterparty KS also accepts the same. – The big picture is that the salary differences between teachers in Oslo municipality and the rest of Norway are not very large, says Hege Mygland, department director in KS Forhandling. She believes that the salary varies far more for nurses and other health personnel because the competition is tougher for this workforce. Teachers and chief shop stewards for 183 schools in Oslo, Anette Sandvær and Camilla Berglund. Photo: Ola Mjaaland The strike is about much more than pay, say teachers news met at the demonstration in front of the Storting on Monday evening. They do not want to be part of the news calculation. – The Oslo teachers were not de-prioritised in the same way that KS de-prioritised the teachers with the highest education and the longest seniority in this year’s report, says chief union representative Camilla Berglund for the teachers in Oslo. Colleague Anette Sandvær agrees and believes that there are two different systems that cannot be compared. TEACHERS IN THE RAIN: Strike marking in Eidsvolls plass, in front of the Storting on Monday evening. Many people showed up despite a lot of rain. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – Why do you go out in the rain for something that doesn’t help your own paycheck? – We of course support all teachers out there in Norway and the entire organisation. We are a large organization with 190,000 members in Norway, and we stand strong together, says chief union representative Anette Sandvær for the teachers in Oslo. Different education, different pay So why is schooling as normal in Oslo, and teachers on strike in large parts of the country? With the help of the parties, news has mapped how the wage differences between Oslo and the rest of the country would be if the teachers’ organizations had accepted the offer on the table from KS. The table shows examples of minimum wages/guaranteed wages for different types of teachers, including a contact teacher supplement. The column on the far right shows what teachers would have been paid this year if they had not gone on strike. You can read the detailed premise for the table at the bottom of the article. Tala shows that Nyutdanna teachers who are now on strike would get a good pay week. They wanted to pick up on their Oslo colleagues with the offer that was made. Some striking teachers fare marginally better than corresponding groups in the Oslo school. But at the same time: Most Oslo teachers have received a significantly higher salary increase this year than teachers in other parts of the country were offered. Wage growth in the low 20s is well below the result in the first wage settlement, which is called the front profession, where wage growth was 3.7 per cent. Deprioritization Aina Skjefstad Andersen in the Education Association was formerly head of the organization in Oslo, but now works centrally in the association. Aina Skjefstad Andersen, Education Association. Photo: Adrian Nielsen – Do you see a good argument in these speeches that it was right to conclude an agreement in Oslo and strike in the rest of the country? – There are two different areas with different elements. Also things that are not about salary. In the KS area, our priority was those with the longest education and those with the longest seniority. The offer we received from the employer did not prioritize those groups, while in Oslo the teacher groups were not de-prioritised, as these groups received the same as other groups in Oslo municipality. The largest teachers’ organization has also previously explained the difference by the fact that there was more money to distribute in Oslo. Skjefstad Andersen therefore believes that there is a significant difference between the two employer organizations Oslo municipality and KS. – This is about the employer’s priorities. We have been wage losers in the KS area for six years in a row. That is why we are on strike. Hege Mygland in KS opposes the portrayal. Hege Mygland, KS. Photo: KS – Not fulfilling all requirements from the Swedish Education Association does not mean that KS lowers the priority for teachers. The municipal sector’s own calculation selection shows that teachers have not been salary losers for six years in a row, she says and refers to a review Faktisk.no has carried out. The table also shows that some striking teachers outside Oslo fare better than colleagues in the capital. The Norwegian Education Association believes the picture is incorrect. – Is it unproblematic that teachers stand right outside Oslo and strike but have better pay than comparable colleagues who work in Oslo? – In general, teachers fare better in Oslo than in KS, says Skjefstad Andersen, and points out that you have to look at the whole picture. – When we negotiate in the various collective bargaining areas, we negotiate with an employer. We are talking about salary development, not where people live. It would be completely impossible. It’s a whole lot when you consider an offer. In Oslo, one considered the health good enough to accept. The teacher example in the salary table above has been selected by news and is based on the collective agreements and protocol from the Ombudsman. Tala is fact-checked with the Norwegian Education Association, KS and Oslo municipality. The salary for all groups except lecturers with additional education includes a contact teacher supplement for 25 pupils. For “landet elles”, this supplement is set at NOK 26,000, this is a locally determined supplement and the level is based on what is given in Bergen, Trondheim and some other municipalities. The minimum wage for Oslo municipality has been adjusted up by two percent because, contrary to KS, the pension contribution is not included in the wage tables.



ttn-69