– I am very concerned about these figures, says Labor Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap). Sick leave in Norway has not been higher in 15 years. In the second quarter, sickness absence was 7.1 per cent, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB). It is the highest level since the swine flu in 2009. From the first to the second quarter of this year, seasonally adjusted sickness absence increased by 10 per cent. Brenna believes the situation is unsustainable. – If we don’t manage to do something now, we may have to do something much more dramatic in a decade or two. We cannot afford this over time. Tony AK Pedersen shows Trygve S. Vedum and Tonje Brenna how to polish a car at Møller Medvind, where he has got a job through Nav. Photo: Christian Ziegler Remme / news Adapting the working day At Sykehuset Østfold in Sarpsborg, many people work a lot. Nurse Mikkel Johannes Garnaas says he often sees colleagues who get tired because they take on extra shifts. – They cover the need for sickness, which is good. But they get burned out doing it. Despite the fact that the work pressure is great, the employees try to make things easier for each other, should someone have a bad day. – There is room to say that “today I have a bit of a headache, can I perhaps take one less patient?” We just have to try to adapt our everyday life a little, says nurse Christina Aaserud. Nurses Mikkel Johannes Garnaas and Christina Aaserud have their hands full when they are at work at Sykehuset Østfold. Photo: Ragnhild Vartdal / news Believes doctors should report sick less In total, sickness absence amounted to 10.6 million lost working days in the second quarter. 1.7 million of these were due to self-reported sickness absence. 9 million was due to doctor-notified sickness absence, Statistics Norway’s figures show. Many of these could have been at work, Brenna believes. Also those with poor mental health. – It can be healthy for someone with mental disorders to go to work and be part of the community that a workplace can form. I am worried that we are simply not helping people when we think we are helping them by calling them sick too quickly. – You are simply saying that more people should go to work, and want to benefit from it? – It is very difficult to say something like that in general. Anyone who goes to the doctor and ends up with a sick note has a story. But I am absolutely certain that for some of those who are called in sick, the doctor should be more interested in whether the patient experiences better health by going to work. Will not preserve the sick pay scheme The Statistics Norway figures came a few days before the parties in working life sit down to negotiate the agreement of intent on a more inclusive working life (IA agreement). This agreement contains, among other things, the sick pay scheme, which has been fixed for many years. On Wednesday, NHO’s managing director Ole Erik Almlid said in an interview with DN that he will not sign an IA agreement that protects the sick pay scheme. He points out in the interview that many believe the sick pay scheme is too generous, and that it contributes to the high level of sickness absence. The sick pay scheme is too generous, says NHO chief Ole Erik Almlid. Photo: William Jobling / news On a collision course with NHO On Thursday, LO chief Peggy Hessen Følsvik came out and asked that the sick pay schemes be expanded instead. She suggests that a right to take more than three self-report days in a row should be legislated. In practice, the proposal could mean that more people than today will not have to obtain a medical certificate if they are ill for more than three days. Companies can now arrange several self-reporting days with their employees, but are not required to do so. I don’t think people will return to work any faster if they become poorer, says LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik. Photo: Christopher Isachsen Sandøy / news – How can extending the self-registration period reduce sickness absence? – If you have the opportunity to feel for yourself when you are ready to go to work again, people will also do it, says the LO boss. – Today, if you go to the doctor and receive a sick note, it is very often for, for example, a week. We know that many people end their sick leave period before they return to work, says Følsvik. Liberal Party: Does not take the problem seriously The outcome shows that LO does not take the problem of sick leave seriously, says Liberal deputy leader Sveinung Rotevatn. – There is obviously a need to change the sick pay scheme and tighten it. The fact that LO approaches the whole problem with the opposite approach shows that LO does not take sickness absence problems seriously, he says to news. Time to change the sick pay scheme, says Sveinung Rotevatn (V). Photo: Kristian Skårdalsmo / news LO leader Peggy Følsvik flatly says no to weakening benefits in the current sick pay scheme. – I don’t think people will return to work any faster if they become poorer, she says. At the same time, LO and NHO have opened the door to find out whether the companies can take some more of the cost for long-term sick leave. Today, the employer covers the first 16 days, then the state picks up the bill. Negotiations on a renewed IA agreement start on Monday. Published 05.09.2024, at 18.54
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Labor Minister Tonje Brenna reacts to highest sickness absence in 15 years – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
