– We cannot have a defense that is operational from nine to four Monday to Thursday, says Tvinnereim to news. She leads the work on the new party program for the Center Party, which will be adopted at the national meeting next year. The threat picture and the new security policy situation make it necessary to adopt tough measures to strengthen Norwegian preparedness, Sp-toppen believes. – We must make it more attractive to settle where you work. But in addition, we must consider compulsory residence for the Armed Forces’ employees, so that we avoid this massive commute to the south, she says. RESIDENCE OBLIGATION: It is important for preparedness reasons that defense personnel live where they work, says Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, who chairs the Center Party’s program committee. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / news Tvinnereim believes it may also be necessary to adjust down the tax benefits given to weekly commuters. This despite the fact that the commuter allowance has increased with the Center Party in government. – It has never been the intention behind our commuting policy that you should be able to live from Monday to Thursday in the north and do your work in the Armed Forces, and then commute south, she says. Opposition The proposal from the Center Party is met with opposition among employees and shop stewards in the Armed Forces. One of those who is critical is Håvard Setlo, who is a lieutenant at the armored battalion at Setermoen in Troms. For five years, the 31-year-old from Sandefjord has commuted from his home in Oslo to his job in the north. COMMUTES: Håvard Setlo has been commuting to work for the Defense Forces in Northern Norway for five years. Photo: Private – If there had been compulsory residence, I would probably have had to go a round or two with myself. I feel very comfortable at work today, but if I don’t have the opportunity to commute anymore, then I’ll probably have to reconsider, says Setlo. He says that he has the entire network of family and friends in Eastern Norway. – The job offer for possible partners is also not as good in the areas where military camps are located in Northern Norway. That makes it more difficult to get people to move north, says Setlo. Says no Union leader Torbjørn Bongo of the Norwegian Officers’ and Specialists’ Association believes the SP proposal will work against its purpose. He believes that fewer people will want to join the Armed Forces and that the shortage of key personnel will increase. Torbjørn Bongo in the Norwegian Association of Officers and Specialists. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news – It’s not like we don’t have emergency services on a Saturday and Sunday in Norway, even if defense personnel are elsewhere in the country. So it will be a bit too simple rhetoric on the part of the Center Party, he says. – The proposal is poorly thought out, says confederation leader Dag Stutlien in Befalet’s joint organisation. Dag Stutlien in the Command’s joint organisation. Photo: Øyvind Førland Olsen / BFO – Most families now are two-career families, where the partner has his own career. What will happen to the partner if the defense employee moves away from where they live? What about the children who have to be taken out of school and given a new school somewhere else? After all, most employees in the Armed Forces have a time limit on their positions of three to five years, and run the risk of having to move quite often, he continues. Positive measures – I understand that compulsory residence is demanding. But it is unfortunately a measure that we have to discuss in order to strengthen preparedness in the north, says Tvinnereim in a comment on the criticism from the union representatives. – But if it leads to more people quitting, doesn’t that exactly strengthen preparedness? – No, but we will also provide positive incentives, which make the Armed Forces an attractive place to work. There may be free kindergarten or after-school care, student loan write-downs and, not least, flexible workplaces so that your spouse or partner can also get an exciting job. – You talk about preparedness, but isn’t this actually district policy? – No, this is a security and preparedness policy proposal. I think everyone who is concerned with safety and preparedness agrees that those who work to ensure our safety should live close to where they will do their work, she says. Tvinnereim says it is too early to answer whether the obligation to live should apply to all employees in the Armed Forces or only selected groups and where the limit should be for how far away the individual can live. – This must of course be discussed politically and with the workers’ organisations, says Sp-toppen. Published 30.07.2024, at 06.53 Updated 30.07.2024, at 07.01
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Sp-top will be required to live in the Armed Forces – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
