The case in summary • The Norwegian Seamen’s Union and Cruise Norway, which have conflicting interests in a bill on Norwegian wages and working conditions on international cruise ships, have both hired the PR agency Kruse Larsen.• The Seamen’s Union says they did not know that Cruise Norway was also a customer of Kruse Larsen.• Cruise Norway was not listed on Kruse Larsen’s open client list, which the agency calls an “embarrassing error”.• Kruse Larsen believes that working for both parties is not a conflict of interest, as they work on different sides of the bill. The summary has been made of an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The government’s bill on Norwegian wages and working conditions on international cruise ships has caused major protests along the coast. While the Norwegian Seamen’s Association supports the law, Cruise Norway is working against its introduction. Cruise Norway has hired the PR agency Kruse Larsen to coordinate media coverage and put pressure on the fisheries minister. news’s review shows that the Norwegian Seamen’s Association has also bought advice from Kruse Larsen. Lena Dyring and the Norwegian Seamen’s Association state that they bought consultancy from Kruse Larsen for NOK 50,000. Photo: private Lena Dyring in the Norwegian Seamen’s Association says they did not know about the agreement between Kruse Larsen and Cruise Norway, until news made them aware of it. – We also notice that Cruise Norway is not on Kruse Larsen’s open customer list. We find this strange, says Dyring. Cruise Norway was listed on the customer list after news contacted Kruse Larsen. Kruse Larsen: – Embarrassing mistake Managing director of PR agency Kruse Larsen, Jan Erik Larsen, writes in an e-mail that Cruise Norway entered a project via another participant. The existing customer was left alone on the customer list, according to Larsen. – It is an embarrassing error for a company that has had open customer lists since 2015 and will be corrected immediately. – In this, as in all other customer relationships, it has been agreed in writing with the customer that they will be on our customer list, so this is a mistake. We make no exceptions to that rule, says Larsen. Jan Erik Larsen, former Ap politician and one of the partners in PR agency Kruse Larsen. Photo: Trond Vestre / news Larsen nevertheless believes that there is no conflict of interest in working for two parties linked to the same bill, because they work on different aspects of the proposal. – The Seamen’s Association has never asked for assistance in the cruise segment. We nevertheless chose to inform them clearly that we had customers in the cruise segment. Knowing this, they chose to enter into an agreement to work with us, writes Larsen. Read the full answer to Kruse Larsen at the bottom of the article. The Seamen’s Association denies that they were made aware that Kruse Larsen was also hired by Cruise Norway. They say that it was revealed that Kruse Larsen had customers “among the ports”. Cruise Norway: – No conflicting interests news’s inspection shows that Kruse Larsen’s contract with Cruise Norway was entered into a week after the contract with the Norwegian Seamen’s Association was signed. Monica Berstad is general manager of Cruise Norway, a membership organization for cruise ports and tourism companies. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Cruise Norway does not think it is problematic that Kruse Larsen also has the Norwegian Seamen’s Association as a customer. – These two bills do not have conflicting interests, as we see it. Kruse Larsen has been clear about this distinction to us, and we have understood this demarcation, writes managing director Monica Berstad in an e-mail to news. Read the full answer from Kruse Larsen: Written answers from the managing director of Kruse Larsen, Jan-Erik Larsen, to questions from news. We see that Cruise Norway AS is not on your customer lists, while you have stated that you operate with open customer lists. In plain view, Cruise Norway has made it clear that they have hired you. Is this right? – It is right that we are working on a project in which Cruise Norway is involved. They should have been on our customer list. They entered the project via another participant, and the existing customer was left alone on the customer list. It’s an embarrassing mistake for a company that has had open customer lists since 2015 and is being rectified immediately. In this, as in all other customer relationships, it has been agreed in writing with the customer that they should be on our customer list, so this is a mistake. We make no exceptions to that rule. The Seamen’s Association says that they have hired assistance for the change in the law from you via Jens Folland. Is this the same adviser you use to advise Cruise Norway AS? – The content of our assignments and who works on them, it is up to the customers to comment. But in this case, we can state that none of our advisers work for several clients in the same case – or for two conflicting outcomes. We work for different clients with different legislative changes in two different laws within the same legislation, which are put out for consultation in the same process. And both customers are familiar with what we do. The Seamen’s Union says they were not informed by you that you were hired by the opposite party to the same bill and say they think it is strange. Do you have a comment on this? – The customer owns the content of the assignment. But in this case, we can say that we work for different clients and with different parts of the legislative proposals. There is no conflict between the projects. Both customers have been made aware that we have other customers who are interested in the consultation process. – The key point here is that these are two different clients who are concerned with two different laws and we obviously do not work simultaneously for conflicting outcomes in the same case. There are two different cases and two different laws, but in the same hearing process. And both customers are aware that we have other customers who are concerned with other laws subject to the same consultation process. Hi! Did you think of anything when you read this case, or do you have any tips? Send us an e-mail or contact Signal. Dan Henrik: +4799128067Eskild: +4748005725 Published 25.06.2024, at 05.50
ttn-69
PR agency Kruse Larsen works for both the Seamen’s Association and Cruise Norway in a legal dispute – news Troms and Finnmark
