On Monday afternoon, there was an emergency meeting between the state administrator in Troms and Finnmark, the state administrator in Nordland, Helse Nord, the county doctor and the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision about the consequences of the ongoing pilot strike for health services in the north. – We took the initiative to do this to ensure that the Norwegian Board of Health receives all the information they need in its dialogue with the health authorities. We got the impression that they have now received, says state administrator in Troms and Finnmark Elisabeth Vik Aspaker in a press release. She says that in the future there will be a close dialogue between the state administrators in the north and the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision. – The state administrators take the situation seriously and that we now actually do not have realistic alternative transport options for patients and critical health personnel in the north, she continues. The health trusts in the north have reported that they are struggling to get key personnel to work on time as a result of the strike. – The health services have been under considerable pressure for a long time, the situation is very demanding, Aspaker points out. Postponing operations in Nordland Nordland Hospital is already on yellow alert due to a challenging staffing situation in connection with holiday cancellations, vacant positions, a persistently increased sickness absence and increased hospitalizations due to covid, they state. Kari Brumoen Råstad, acting HR manager at Nordland Hospital, says the SAS strike is creating trouble for the hospital. Photo: Randi Angelsen / Nordland Hospital – The ongoing strike has led to further challenges, and we have therefore had to reduce some elective operations, both operations and outpatient clinics. This is what Kari Brumoen Råstad, acting HR manager at Nordland Hospital, tells news. – In addition, several of the municipalities in our catchment area have challenges related to capacity and staffing, and the number of patients ready for discharge contributes to our capacity for taking care of island help admissions being pressured, says Råstad. Nordland Hospital has had to take down some of its operations due to the strike. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news In Tromsø, they are struggling to get enough intensive care nurses in place. This may lead to them having to reduce some of their capacity in the department. – We do not think it is right that UNN has signaled that they must reduce 25 percent of their intensive capacity. It’s serious. We want to make sure that they know this in Oslo, and we must inquire how the Norwegian Board of Health will take this further with political authorities, says State Administrator Aspaker. The government is following the situation The management at the University Hospital of Northern Norway was also gathered today to discuss status. Head of Communications Hilde Annie Pettersen Kvalvik states after the meeting that the most demanding situation has been averted, since the SAS pilots have granted the exemption for flights to and from Svalbard until 17 July. The Ministry of Health and Care Services refers all questions related to assessments of life and health in connection with the strike to the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision. – They make this assessment, writes the Ministry of Health and Care Services. The Norwegian Board of Health states that they are following the situation closely. – We follow the situation with regard to the health service’s ability to ensure life and health as we always do in connection with legal labor disputes. We have planned to report to the Ministry of Health and Care Services tomorrow before the end of the working day. The Norwegian Board of Health writes to news. The Norwegian Board of Health Supervision sends its report to the Ministry of Health and Care Services on Tuesday. Photo: Christian Thomassen / Scanpix Researcher: Can become a pay committee Researcher at Fafo, Kristine Nergaard, says that we now see that the strike is beginning to affect the health service. This can lead to a forced wage board, she believes. – The parties can reduce this by granting a dispensation. It is easier to set up a plane to Svalbard, where there is one hospital and a limited place. When it comes to Northern Norway, it can be more demanding to find precise dispensations that alleviate the challenges of getting hospital staff in place, says Nergaard. Kristine Nergaard, researcher at Fafo- Photo: FAFO – Norwegian authorities can not adopt anything other than a compulsory wage board in Norway. If there is a forced wage committee, the entire Norwegian part of the conflict will be stopped, but the strike will continue in Sweden and Denmark, she continues. She says that it now depends on the Norwegian Board of Health’s assessments and what the parties do. – We have a tradition that a compulsory wage board can be used when a labor dispute threatens life and health, and when the state administrator goes to the step and gathers the health trusts, it is a signal that they are worried. But it is up to the Norwegian Board of Health to consider, and the Ministries of Labor and Inclusion to decide. Stuck strike On Monday morning, the Ombudsman met with the SAS management and the pilots. This is the first meeting since there was a strike a week ago. – It was just a short status update. We are where we were a week ago, says leader of SAS Norway Flyers Association, Jan Levi Skogvang, to news. Leader Jan Levi Skogvang had a meeting with the Ombudsman on Monday morning. Photo: ksenia novikova / news He thinks the ball is with SAS. – They just think we should come and give them more. It is completely irrelevant, says Skogvang. The Ombudsman: – Does not give up Ombudsman Mats Wilhelm Ruland tells news that the purpose of Monday’s meeting was to see if it was possible to have a dialogue again. – We can only state from that meeting that the situation is still as deadlocked as it has been since the conflict started, Ruland says. – Then it is not the case that we give up for that reason. We will have a meeting in the coming days as well, without me being able to say anything more about the time, he continues. There are tough thanks for Riksmekler Mats Wilhelm Ruland during the day. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news The Ombudsman says that there have been a number of meetings in recent days – especially in Sweden. – It is too early to say whether they will be meetings in Stockholm again, common to all parties. This is something we must see, but more meetings will be held in the future. Today it was a bit of a practical reason that there was a meeting at Teams, it may be relevant with physical meetings also in the future. Crossed the pain threshold The Ombudsman stated to news on Friday that “it is clear that this is a conflict that cannot last for a long time”. This is because it affects many innocent third parties. – We agree with that. It is a terribly serious conflict and situation – we are very aware of that. But at the same time, it is SAS that wants this, and it is they who hold the key, says Skogvang in SAS Norway’s Pilots’ Association. He believes it has already hurt more than it should for the SAS pilots. – We have gone too far, and have passed the pain threshold. The SAS strike continues in full force after new meetings on Monday. Photo: Tore Ellingseter SAS does not wish to comment on the matter. – We do not want to comment on the process, out of respect for it. We repeat that SAS would like to negotiate, says press manager at SAS, Tonje Sund, to news.
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– The situation is very demanding – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
