Requires a permanent job for the couriers – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

This time it is about the right to permanent employment at Wolt. With Fellesforbundet at its back, LO’s largest confederation in the private sector has now sent notice of a lawsuit on behalf of Landgraff and three other Wolt bids. – I think it is unacceptable that people base their business model on breaking Norwegian law. They shift all costs and risks onto the bidders, who are left without rights. We can’t have it like that, says Landgraff to news. Espen Utne Landgraff is a bicycle courier again, after two years as a consultant in Rødt. Photo: Bror Bjerke / news Wolt rejects that the law is being broken and defends the business model, which is based, among other things, on the fact that the bids are considered independent contractors and not employees. – We have looked at both the old and the new Working Environment Act, talked to our advisers and looked at how this works in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. We are quite sure that we are well within what is Norwegian law, says communications manager Christian Kamhaug at Wolt Norge to news. Case in point As a shop steward in Foodora, Espen Utne Landgraff was central during the strike, which in 2019 ended with a collective agreement for the employees of the courier company. He then became an advisor in Rødt’s parliamentary group, before he again applied to return to his old job as a bicycle courier – this time for the Foodora competitor Wolt. Espen Utne Landgraff was a shop steward during the Foodora strike a few years ago. Here with former LO leader Hans-Christian Gabrielsen and Paul Olai-Olssen at Youngstorget in 2020. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB He thinks it is a very bad solution for the bids in Wolt that they are considered independent contractors and not as employees. FAMOUS SIGHT: The light blue Wolt bids have become a common sight in the cityscape. Here is an offer for scooters in Oslo. Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB One of the reasons is the many rights you lose when you are not employed. – In principle, you can be dismissed on the day. Wolt can change the salary and working conditions on its own initiative. They can lower wages. You have no security if you fall ill at work. You don’t get any sick pay, you don’t get any pension, you don’t get any holiday pay, says Landgraff. Fredrik Winger-Solvang is professional secretary in the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions. Photo: Bror Kvammen Bjerke / news The way Wolt organizes itself brings thoughts back to past times, says the Federation’s Fredrik Winger-Solvang. – We are back to “hat in hand” and accept the assignments you can get. It breaks with the Norwegian model, he says to news. Rejects LO criticism At Wolt in Oslo, there are light blue electrified vessels as far as the eye can see. But the claim from the LO giant Fellesforbundet that the company is undermining the Norwegian working life model makes Christian Kamhaug in Wolt Norge see red. REJECTS: Communications manager Christian Kamhaug at Wolt Norge rejects that the practice of independent contractors is contrary to Norwegian law. Photo: Brother Kvammen Bjerke / news – Nonsense. We don’t undermine anything. We believe in the Norwegian model, but it is time to expand it a little, to other types of work than just the full-time employee, he says. The company has asked for an extended deadline to respond to the notice of lawsuit. Kamhaug says 80 percent of Wolt’s 4,000 bids want to keep a model based on working independently or as a freelancer. – What we and the bid partners want is the flexibility that lies in being able to work exactly when you want, as much as you want. There is no shift, there are no efficiency metrics. You have an app, you swipe on when you want to work, and then you deliver as many times as you want in a day. INTERNATIONAL: Wolt and other courier companies have become international brands. Here, a woman is about to order food through the Wolt app in Israel Photo: AMIR COHEN / Reuters Kamhaug believes that the Federation thinks old-fashioned and says companies like Wolt can be a way into working life for many who are outside today. – We also have some who are on disability benefits, but with residual work ability. On a good day, they may be able to work full time, but then the next day is bad, and you can’t bear to work, says Kamhaug. – But surely this also has an economic side for Wolt, to keep people as independent contractors? – Not primarily. The primary thing for us and the bidding partners is the flexibility that allows us to increase and decrease the supply according to demand, he says. Published 26.06.2024, at 18.12



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