During a break during the LO congress, Mette Nord and Jørn Eggum put their arms around each other. LO’s two most powerful union leaders have come together in an issue that divides many of the delegates. An oil compromise has been knocked through. – We have in many ways had to orient ourselves to reality, Eggum says to news. His union, the largest in the private sector, organizes a large number of industrial workers in the oil and supplier industry. Now he comes with an admission that has been very far-fetched. – We will not seek rematch for decisions that have already been made, whether it concerns Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja, Jan Mayen or Møreblokkene. We do not challenge that several times. Eaten is eaten and done is done, says Eggum. – Develop, do not wind up In return, LO’s oil compromise states that the industry must be developed and not wound up. Extensive proposals to stop or slow down the search for new oil were set aside. – It is incredibly important for the restructuring that not everything is locked into the further oil industry, but that we have the capacity to develop companies such as battery factories and offshore wind farms, says the union’s leader Mette Nord. LO’s oil compromise specifically states that the resources that can be developed must be “economically and climatically sustainable”. And it will have consequences, LO acknowledges: – It will mean that parts of the resources on the Norwegian shelf will remain untouched, it is stated in the decision from LO’s highest body, Congress. The wording was adopted unanimously. Can be noisy But even though the oil fronts have so far calmed down in LO, both Eggum and Nord acknowledge that there may be new and hard ceilings for specific allocations on the Norwegian shelf in the future. – If you should find something that is within the prerequisites, then it is absolutely right that we will advocate for continued extraction of oil and gas. We say that something is excluded or protected, but then there are many other projects underway, which we must later decide whether to open or develop, says Eggum. – This means that there is a knowledge-based assessment in each individual case, Nord adds. Minister of Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide (Labor Party) followed the voting in LO with interest. – It is a united and greener LO that comes out of this congress. In the hall, they have all positions from full stop to spout and drive. LO has now taken a wise line that acknowledges that there will be petroleum activities in Norway also in the future, at the same time as taking into account climate change and trends that are moving towards increased decarbonisation, says Barth Eide to news. – To live with Fellesfobunde’s department head in North Rogaland Steffen Høiland was active in the debate on oil extraction during the congress. He stated to news that LO is not an environmental organization and criticized unions in the public sector for wanting to change and worsen the framework conditions for an industry of which they are not a part. When news asks what he thinks about the oil compromise, he answers as follows: – Is not super happy, but it is good to live with. Steffen Høiland in Fellesforbundet and Martin Kvalvik in Norsk Tjenestemannslag stood on opposite sides of the oil fight in LO. Photo: Mats Rønning / news Martin Kvalvik, who heads NTL Ung, did not win with the proposal to curb exploration activity, but is nevertheless satisfied with the wording that LO has now agreed on: – We are pleased that we have reached a real compromise. This is a good first step in the right direction, says Martin Kvalvik in NTL Ung to news.
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Shelving oil fight – now they are pearl friends! – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
