The case in summary Herøya Arbeiderforening has made itself multi-millionaires by renting cottages on Bjørkøya in Porsgrunn. The workers’ association has spent almost 10 million on rent in the last two years. Fellesforbundet slugger reacts to LO not getting involved. LO believes there is no major problem with commercial operations. Broker tells about eleven wild market price for the property. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Based on the number of members, we are probably the richest trade union in the country, says Tor-Morten Thorsen. He rents the Herøya Arbeiderforening (HAF), which in 1953 bought Bjørkøya in Porsgrunn and later started renting cottages. In recent years, everyone, regardless of membership, has been able to rent a cabin here. In the last two years alone, the workers’ association has spent almost 10 million on renting out the cabins on the island. Bjørkøya is located in the Eidangerfjord in Porsgrunn and is a popular destination for tourists and the local population during the summer months. Tor-Morten Thorsen in Herøya Arbeiderforening assumes that he rents the richest trade union in the country. Photo: Anne Lognvik / news Fellesforbundet slugger reacts The long-time champion of the Fellesforbundet in Telemark, Arne Hagen, is surprised that LO does not get involved in the commercial cabin rental. – It is a bit strange that HAF can continue in this way, without LO getting involved. I think it’s good that it becomes public knowledge that the trade union behaves in this way, says Hagen. He has been a strong voice in the Fellesforbundet since the union saw the light of day in 1988. Before that, he was a clear voice in the Norwegian Construction Workers’ Association in Grenland. – LO should have a clear policy on this type of commercial operation under the auspices of a trade union. There should be clear guidelines for how the funds are to be managed, not least for the good of the members of the association, says Hagen. Information board at Herøya Arbeiderforening’s cabin from the 1950s. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news LO: No big problem Head of Information Trond Gram in LO does not see any big problem with a trade union building up equity capital for the club treasury by renting out its own property. – Should more people do like Herøya Arbeiderforening and invest commercially in order to enrich the trade union and strengthen the club coffers? – It must almost be up to each individual trade union how they wish to dispose of community funds. Most trade unions have sold their holiday resorts over time. When Herøya Arbeiderforening has upgraded the resort, they will in any case take care of the history, says Trond Gram. He adds that it must be up to the confederation to shape any rules. Herøya Arbeiderforening’s history Herøya Arbeiderforening’s history Herøya Arbeiderforening (HAF) was founded on 17 June 1929 with Arthur J. Berby as chairman. At the start, the association had 168 members. Now there are around 1,800 members of which somewhere between 1,000 and 1,100 are active. The others are pensioners. In the spring of 1931, Herøya Arbeiderforening was given a central place in the national news. The tariff negotiations even included a lockout which was the cause of the infamous Menstad strike. On 8 June, workers clashed with the police in the fields at Hydro’s plant in Menstad. Defense Minister Vidkun Quisling at the time sent warships up Porsgrunnselva to help. For many years, Herøya Arbeiderforening was one of the most powerful trade unions in the country. In Norsk Hydro’s heyday, the workers’ union had great influence. In 1982, HAF ensured that no one was laid off or dismissed when the company modernized magnesium production. Source: heroyaarbeiderforening.no Satisfied tenants Kai-Henning Olsen and Andrea Aasmoe Mathy sit on the terrace outside a highly modern cabin on Bjørkøya and enjoy the sun over a cup of coffee. Andrea Aasmoe Mathy, Kai-Henning Olsen and his children Hanna and Olai Gorudvollen Olsen are enjoying themselves on Bjørkøya. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Olsen has no problem with the holiday money helping to finance a trade union. – We think this is a very nice way to holiday. The fact that we rent from a workers’ association rather than some private parties seems to me to be perfectly fine. Millions of income during the pandemic There is no doubt that the purchase of Bjørkøya has been a gold mine for Herøya Arbeiderforening. In the last two years, the trade union has received NOK 4.5 and 4.6 million respectively. Equity is fundamentally sound and was close to NOK 50 million at the turn of the year. – Most of the equity is tied up in the property on Bjørkøya, so it is clear that if you consider the market price, the real value is far higher, admits Tor-Morten Thorsen. Ellevill market price Estate agent Henrik Tangen in Krogsveen has no doubts. – Yes, the real value is clearly much, much higher than 50 million, says Tangen, who in the early 2000s helped HAF sell some of the older cabins. Estate agent Henrik Tangen in Krogsveen. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news The debt situation hardly gives cause for concern in Herøya Arbeiderforening. The total debt is just under NOK 400,000, and they have a cash balance of over NOK 14.3 million. HAF manager Tor-Morten Thorsen still does not take off. – What we earn from the cabin rental goes towards the operation and maintenance of the cabins and the property in general. We also have salary expenses for the caretaker and the secretary in the association. Some of the surplus is also used to strengthen equity.
ttn-69
Herøya Arbeiderforening became millionaires from cabin rental – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
