During the pandemic, more people than ever used e-commerce. And got the packages sent. But at what price? In January, the Free Trade Union Movement made a number of revelations about social dumping, wage pressure and poor working conditions among drivers. Also among the large transport companies such as PostNord and Posten. Norway Post is now asking for help to overcome the problem. They demand stricter requirements for van drivers. On 20 January this year, PostNord was asked about this in Dagsnytt 18. One of the critics was Dag Erik Syvertsen, union secretary in Fellesforbundet: – It is a disclaimer. You help to be the locomotive in social dumping when you do it this way. – Crime finds the easiest ways The revelations made an impression on Norway Post. They have thus stepped up controls of their subcontractors. The police have also stepped up their checks. But that’s a big problem. The industry is very confusing. – We have seen that the industry is characterized by extensive crime, says Christina T. Rooth, business contact in the Oslo police district to news. The police have already uncovered several criminal environments in the van segment in the transport industry, Rooth says. – Crime finds the easiest ways, and the van segment is unregulated. There is low earnings at the lowest level and the industry is characterized by extensive use of subcontractors, according to the business contact in the Oslo police district. The majority of the companies in the transport industry have between zero and four employees. This is what the transport industry looks like in the eyes of the police. Photo: Screenshot from the police seminar on the topic It is this structure that makes the drivers who drive for the subcontractors to main suppliers such as Norway Post, difficult to control. Depending on requirements from the government It is also difficult for Norway Post to check that the subcontractors they use are reliable. Now they are joining forces with the Trade Union and asking the government for help: They want stricter regulation of the van industry. – It is important that Norway Post, as a major industry player, takes the lead and asks for this, says Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen, Posten’s press manager. They have sent letters to the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion together with the trade union with input to the action plan against social dumping in the transport sector. This is especially true of the van industry. – If there are so many problems with crime among the subcontractors, why do you not just hire your own drivers? – We have a lot of our own drivers, but in some areas we buy transport capacity from subcontractors. – From our point of view, we are dependent on the government setting stricter requirements and come up with control mechanisms so that the regulation is complied with, Pettersen says. Therefore, Norway Post proposes to look at our neighboring countries Sweden and Denmark. There, they have reduced work crime in the goods transport sector to a large extent. This is Norway Post and the Trade Union’s proposal for what the government should require: 1. Requirement for a license to conduct business in vans. They want requirements for competence in topics such as traffic safety, loading, finances, tax rules and employee rights for those who will operate in the van segment. Competences must be documented before they are granted a license. 2. Capital requirements per van In order to ensure that the companies have orderly finances, requirements must be set for capital per van. car. In Sweden and Denmark, capital requirements are set at around DKK 50,000 per car. 3. Requirements for coping skills for driving a van – in addition to a driving license In order to increase the reputation of the profession, minimum requirements should be set for competence for driving a van. This can be done by requiring courses with defined content and exams. The course must provide competence in transporting various goods in a safe, defensive and environmentally sound manner to secure the load in a safe and ergonomically correct way. Furthermore, competence must be ensured in working according to the rules on driving and rest time, stopping and parking, driving with a trailer, being able to provide first aid and contributing to a healthy working environment. 4. Documentation – competency certificate or HSE card Requirement should be made for a competency certificate or HSE card that shows who the employee is and which company they work for. To obtain an HSE card, the company and employee must be listed in several registers. When a scheme requires documentation from the company and the employee, it is easier to see that the legislation is followed and thereby prevent undocumented working conditions, violations of the Working Environment Act and change illegal conditions. 5. Regulation of working hours, possible driving / rest time Regulation of working hours must be applied to everyone who drives a van, including sole proprietorships. Serious findings in controls The police also comment on the industry in their updated threat assessment. The police’s threat assessment 2022 on crime in the transport of goods Industries with low requirements for formal competence will be most exposed. It is expected that criminal networks will increasingly commit tax and duty crime, wage theft, fraud and exploitation of workers in selected industries. Business activities in industries with low requirements for formal competence will be used by actors in drug and work crime to launder criminal profits. The A-crime centers had controls against this industry – with serious findings. The last time Oslo had control at Black-Week in November, 106 companies, and 139 people, were controlled. 27 per cent of the persons associated with the companies that were inspected are either under investigation, or have previously been fined. 30 percent of the employees they met are investigated for working illegally 31 percent of the cars were banned from driving due to congestion. In 15 per cent of the cases there was social security fraud 26 people were fined for worn tires and missing vehicle cards 8 vans got utility contracts due to gross technical deficiencies Therefore, the police have now made a guide for the industry with advice and measures for main suppliers and clients. can prevent crime. – If there is a stricter regulation, it will be easier for us and everyone else to operate neatly, says Pettersen in Norway Post. – It provides more predictability for all parties. news has sent e-mails to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion, both of which confirm that they have received the letter from Norway Post and the Trade Union. They did not want to comment on our questions.
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Norway Post is asking for help to get rid of crime in the industry – news Nordland
