Culture manager in Ringsaker Asle Berteig has an annual salary of almost NOK 1.2 million. In addition, he, as the only boss in Ringsaker, has a verbal agreement with the municipality regarding an overtime payment of up to NOK 1,262 an hour. From February this year up to and including July, Berteig has had over NOK 116,000 gross for overtime, writes Ringsaker blad. The municipality will now look at the agreement again. Paid for acting jobs Municipal manager Håvard Haug tells Ringsaker blad that he and Berteig entered into a verbal agreement in 2017 or 2018 that the culture manager could be paid for up to 120 hours of overtime a year. The head of culture has worked overtime for several assignments he has had in cultural life Ringsaker. TAKING THE ROLE AS AN ACTOR: Asle Berteig together with other actors in the performance “My heart for deck” at Prøysenhuset. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Berteig says it is about payment for work he has done at weekends and in the evenings to plan and carry out events for residents of the municipality. – In other words, being away from my family, not going on the trips I want to, in order to still work for Ringsaker municipality, he says. On one weekend this summer, he received an overtime payment of almost NOK 20,000. Among other things, the cultural manager spent a lot of time as an actor at rehearsals and performances at Prøysenhuset. He also worked on the square in Brumunddal and hosted the Prøysen family – under the auspices of Ringsaker municipality. Reacts strongly Odd-Amund Lundberg in the Ringsaker Center Party is very critical of Berteig having a verbal agreement on overtime pay. – I am surprised. I think it is incredibly amateurish that in a municipality with 4,000 employees we should operate with verbal agreements. We cannot do that. I react strongly to that. He is also critical of what he believes is an unfortunate mix of roles for the head of culture. By virtue of his job as head of culture, Berteig is also an initiator of performances and activities, where he himself can become involved in extra work, says Lundberg to Hamar Arbeiderblad. CRITICAL: – I’m not a fan of additional agreements, especially when they are verbal, says Odd-Amund Lundberg in Ringsaker Senterparti. Photo: Inger Johanne Solli / news Berteig, for his part, feels that he is doing a good job for Ringsaker municipality’s residents, and believes that the local cultural offer will be weakened if the agreement on overtime pay does not continue. – The outcome will eventually be that we have to reduce the scope of all the events we make that are held in the evening and at the weekend, he says. AS AN ACTOR: Asle Berteig performs in the performance “My heart for decks”, which was staged at Prøysenhuset in the summer of 2022. The head of culture says he is dealing with the offer he has received from the municipality, but that he is open to a new review of the matter. – I don’t want to do something that causes people to react, so I think we have to consider whether the agreement should be continued, he says. OPEN FOR REVIEW: – I feel that I am doing a valuable job for Ringsaker municipality’s residents and would like to have a positive reputation, so if this agreement that I have been offered is perceived as negative, then I would like to talk to the councilor if it is wise to continue it, says Berteig. Photo: METTE FINBORUD BØRRESEN / news Will follow up the case politically Lundberg says the Center Party will follow the case closely. – We have to do it – get to the bottom of this. I don’t necessarily think this is a big problem, but it makes a case for me. In a large company like Ringsaker municipality, we cannot continue like this. I hope you are aware of that yourself – that this is not good music. – But Asle Berteig makes a big effort, also in her spare time, for the municipality. Don’t you think it’s appropriate that he gets paid extra for this? – We know that there are generally many people in the municipality who are having a hard time, who work a lot of overtime and have a great deal of responsibility for the job – without getting paid anything more for it, says Lundberg. Will take a new review Jørn Strand is Councilor in Ringsaker. He understands that it is non-traditional for the culture manager to have such a large overtime budget, and that people react. NEW REVIEW: Councilor in Ringsaker Jørn Strand says they will now carry out a review of the case. Photo: Inger Johanne Solli / news – Yes, I see it. At the same time, it is the case that some work has at times been expected to be carried out in the evening and at the weekend, but I see the situation. Strand says that they will conduct a comprehensive review of the case.
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Now the agreement can be scrapped – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
