On Sunday afternoon, LO said no to the national mediator’s sketch. YS has also broken off the negotiations. The parties have been in negotiations since Friday. – The totality of the sketch the mediator put on the table was simply not good enough. Our main demand was that the employees should have increased purchasing power, says LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik. This means that 25,000 workers will go on strike from Monday morning. LO is calling a press conference about the salary settlement at 19:00 on Sunday. – LO demanded increased purchasing power for its members and a boost for the low-paid. NHO has chosen to reject our demands, and thus sends the country into strike, says Følsvik. Ombudsman Mats Ruland is clear that the negotiations are difficult. – It is a very deadlocked situation. It is serious. We are completely dependent on movement to move forward, says Ruland. Ombudsman Mats Ruland met the press late on Saturday evening. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Although Ruland claims he is no less optimistic now than when he met the press at midnight, he is aware that the negotiations are tough. – If the parties do not move, there will be a conflict. A big conflict, says Ruland to news. Because this year’s settlement is an interim settlement, the parties only negotiate on salary. Will be a major strike Around 25,000 members in LO and YS are ready to strike from Monday morning. LO writes that they plan to take out a wide range of industries across large parts of the country. Among other things, the strike will affect breweries such as Hansa and Mack. Coca-Cola will also be affected if there is a strike. – It is of course regrettable to have to go on strike. We don’t do it lightly. It is the first time in 20 years that LO has come into conflict, says Følsvik. – We are ready to strike as long as it takes, says LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik. Photo: William Jobling / news LO believes that the demand for increased purchasing power for members is so important that when we found that the offer was not good enough, we had no alternative. NHO says that they wanted to get a sketch in place that was acceptable to everyone. – Norway should have let go of this conflict. NHO has been solution-oriented and negotiated constructively, but the other party did not meet us. It is incomprehensible, says managing director of the Norwegian Business Association (NHO), Ole Erik Almid to news. – We are very sorry that we are where we are. I’m surprised we got here. There has not been a strike in an intermediate settlement since the war, says Almid. A possible strike will, among other things, affect a number of breweries. Photo: Stian Strøm / news Facts about the strike in LO Around 23,000 LO members will go on strike from Monday at 6 o’clock following a breach in the mediation in the salary settlement. LO has also announced an extension of the strike from Friday. A total of 38,500 members will then be on strike. The strike will affect businesses all over the country, according to LO’s list of strike rates. Several of the withdrawals take place at breweries such as Ringnes, Hansa and Mack. Thus, closed beer taps can be a consequence of the strike. At Coca-Cola, just over 120 will go on strike. The food industry, including Orkla, and the large industrial locomotives in the supplier industry, where the Federation has many members, could also be hit hard. This applies to companies such as Aker Solutions, Hydro Aluminum Karmøy, Hydro Sunndalsøra, Aibel and Kaefer. In addition, ferry transport around the country will be generally affected. Ruter has announced that the strike will affect their ferries in the Oslo area. IKEA’s warehouses at Furuset and Slependen in Oslo are also affected by the strike. The company states that Ikea Furuset will be closed completely, while Slependen will remain open with a reduced offer. (NTB) LO warns escalation Already on the night of Sunday, LO announced an escalation of a possible strike. LO writes that 23,000 LO members will go on strike from Monday at 06.00. – We are ready to strike as long as it takes, says Følsvik. If the mediation does not lead to an agreement between LO and NHO, this means that a total of 38,000 LO members will go on strike from Friday, LO writes in a press release. YS has announced that they are taking 1,500 YS members out on strike from Monday, and a further 460 members from Friday. – This strike could have major consequences. We will do what is necessary so that we can reach a solution very soon, says Følsvik.
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