This week, the Education Association announced a further escalation of the teachers’ strike. On Monday 19 September, 1,800 new teachers will be taken out on strike, and pupils up to 2nd grade will be affected. A total of around 8,100 teachers will then be on strike, who are on strike in all the country’s counties. On Wednesday afternoon, Education Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) asked the parties to make an effort to find a solution. – The forced salary board appears more likely than before. That’s what Kristine Nergaard says, working life researcher at FAFO (The Trade Union Center for Research, Investigation and Documentation). Several influencing factors Nergaard points to three developments in recent days which she believes have increased the likelihood of a pay committee: Reported escalation on Monday Expressed concern from the Minister of Education Letter from the children’s ombudsman to the Ministry of Education and Culture Earlier this week, the children’s ombudsman expressed concern that the strike will affect the vulnerable children, in a letter to the Ministry of Education. The children’s ombudsman demands measures from the municipalities to protect these children. – The municipalities are responsible for providing the services. The municipalities must give feedback to the ministry if they are able to solve the task they have been assigned, says Nergaard. The municipalities’ measures can therefore be decisive for further developments in the strike, according to the FAFO researcher. Kristine Nergaard is a working life researcher at FAFO, and believes we will see a solution to the conflict within the next week. Photo: FAFO Vulnerable children as an argument The threshold for using a forced wage board must be high, as this is considered an intervention in the right to strike. Forced pay boards can be used in situations when a conflict threatens life and health. This will always be a matter of assessment, according to the researcher. – What you can build on if you go down this path, which is not certain, is to follow up vulnerable students and those who need special education. It may be that one adds that there have been 2-3 years with corona and a number of closed schools and that this makes the challenges greater. Nergaard says that in this way it can be justified that a group during the strike and the pandemic has had extra challenges and has become extra exposed. Letter from parents to the ministers Earlier this week, 92 parents of pupils at schools in Lillestrøm and Bergen also sent a letter to Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe and Minister for Health and Welfare Ingvild Kjerkol. The parents pointed out in the letter that the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children have the right to go to school and the right to be heard and taken into account. They point out that this convention takes precedence over Norwegian law if they are opposed to each other. – We do support the teachers’ strike, but we are very critical of how they have designed the strike. It hits very hard, said Olve Sæther Hansen, one of the parents behind the letter. Olve Sæther Hansen is one of the parents who has signed a critical letter to the government. Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news Believes in a solution within the next week Nergaard believes that there must be a willingness on the part of the parties to stretch over the weekend or early next week, if the wage board is to be avoided. – It is always best if the parties are able to come to a solution, and the parties themselves will probably generally think that it is better that they resolve this themselves, rather than a wage board, says Nergaard and adds: – It is not sure that they will manage it, but that they will try, I think so. The solution will probably then come through further negotiations or by the parties in the conflict wanting a voluntary tribunal. This happens when the parties want the conflict to be resolved by a decision from the National Salaries Board. – When do you think we can see a solution? – I think this has been going on for so long now that when we get a new withdrawal and these signals that the parties must speed up to find a solution, I would guess that we will know where this ends up in about a week’s time, says Nergaard.
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Believes the escalation of the teachers’ strike could lead to a forced wage board – news Trøndelag
