– When you go straight from one position to a new one which is full-time and which is fully paid, then it appears absurd whether you should have the right to keep the salary from the previous position. That’s what Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll (SV) says. Oslo’s former school council now heads the culture and education committee in the city council. When it became clear that she was given the post, she withdrew the application she had submitted for severance pay. It would not be right to receive back pay in that situation, she believes. – I think the arrangement we have today is too generous. These city councilors receive severance pay In addition to Johansen, four of the resigned city councilors have been granted severance pay: Einar Wilhelmsen (finance) Rina Mariann Hansen (industry and ownership) Usman Mushtaq (work, integration and social services) Omar Samy Gamal (culture, sports and volunteering) In addition, three city councils have applied, but then withdrew their application. This applies to Marthe Scharning Lund (health), Sirin Stav (environment and transport), and Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll (upbringing and knowledge). Arild Hermstad, who took over as city councilor for urban development in February, has not applied. Four former group leaders in the city council have also received severance pay. They are Cecilie Lyngby (FP), Morten Edvardsen (Sp), Andreas Halse (Ap) and Eivind Trædal (MDG). 17 city council secretaries also receive severance pay. In total, there are thus 26 top politicians in Oslo who receive severance pay. Departed mayor Marianne Borgen (SV) is not among them. Nor has she applied for severance pay. Could have received “interim pay” Because according to the law, she would have the right to receive severance pay even with a new job. Then the income in the new position would have been deducted from the severance pay. But she would have been paid the “rest”. That is, the difference between the new salary and what she earned as a city councillor. – I think that is problematic, and I have no wish to take advantage of the opportunity to do so, says Eidsvoll. Eidsvoll therefore chose to withdraw the entire application for severance pay. And she’s not the only one. Sirin Hellvin Stav (MDG, resigned transport council) and Marthe Scharning Lund (Ap, resigned health council) have also made the same choice. All three justify this by saying that they have been given full-time positions in the city council. Marthe Scharning Lund has become deputy chairman of the finance committee, and has therefore waived severance pay. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen – Better than the Storting Eidsvoll emphasizes that she is in favor of having a retirement scheme, since politicians have to go to work. – Many ordinary people have a notice period in their jobs. She thinks most people understand that. – But I think it appears completely absurd to people that you should be able to receive a salary for two things at the same time. Both severance pay and full salary in a new job, she says. In particular, she reacts to the fact that city councilors who return to the city council and get a full-time position can keep their council salary. – It is very strange that retired city councilors in a city like Oslo should have better severance pay than ministers have when they return to the Storting, says Eidsvoll. Because if someone leaves the government to return to the Storting, they do not receive full remuneration. While city councilors who return to the city council can receive severance pay. Either on top of remuneration as a city council representative, or on top of the salary they receive for full-time positions. – This is certainly a loophole in the regulations that I myself could have been aware of earlier, says Eidsvoll. The mayor did not apply Of the 26 Oslo politicians who have received severance pay, 17 of them are city council secretaries. Two of them have also said that they do not want the “intermediate” when they start a new job. This applies to: Mansoor Hussein, who starts a new job on 1 December Tone Li Sandvik, who started a new job on 6 November and thus only received severance pay for just over ten days Departed city development councilor Arild Hermstad (MDG) is the only one of the city councilors who did not apply for severance pay. Neither did mayor Marianne Borgen (SV). She has now retired. – For me, it was out of the question to apply for severance pay, she says. Marianne Borgen at the mayor’s office on her last day as mayor. She is now retired – without severance pay. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Borgen didn’t think she would be entitled to it either. But as news reported on Monday, the law allows pensioners to also receive severance pay. – Now I don’t know what the background is for the rule. But immediately I think it’s a bit unreasonable, says Borgen. Without severance pay, she must – like other pensioners – live on her pension. – And the only thing missing was that it wasn’t like that, she says.
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Several city councilors said no to severance pay from Oslo municipality:
