The negotiations between the government and the parties in working life on a new agreement to reduce sickness absence are at a standstill. It is not at all certain that they will agree. Nurse Alice Hult is one of those who has returned to work after calling in sick. – I was on sick leave earlier this year. I got a stress injury in my arm, a tennis elbow. I was advised to call in sick for a few weeks, she says. But especially close follow-up from the employer and arranged and other tasks at work had a lot to say. – I could add doses, check multi-doses, make breakfast, order medicines and goods or be an environmental officer. Gradually, I also tried my hand at light care. It meant that I could return to work earlier, she says. – Would you have been back in 100 percent work as quickly without this arrangement? – No, I don’t think so. Absenteeism due to illness is increasing sharply in this country, and the target in the current agreement on inclusive working life (IA agreement) to reduce absenteeism has not been reached. From 2019 to 2023, sickness absence reported by doctors increased from 4.8 to 5.6 per cent, the Nav analysis in “Work and Welfare” showed this summer. BACK: Alice Hult got back to work. Photo: Hedda Solbakken Absenteeism halved With close follow-up, sickness absence in one year at Haraldsvang nursing home in Haugesund has been almost halved, from 13.5 to 7.5 per cent. – We have worked in a structured and systematic manner. We have participated in this industry program for nursing homes, says unit manager Astrid Håland. The industry program is a pointed and prioritized effort to get people back to work. It entered the agreement on inclusive working life in 2018–2019. REDUCED ABSENCE: Unit manager Astrid Håland says the nursing home has worked deliberately to reduce absenteeism. Photo: Hedda Solbakken Hospitals are one of seven industries that are part of the programme. – The program has been a good support player. They have guided us. And the industry program is tailor-made for the hospital operation, says Håland. In the programme, targeted measures are tried out to reduce sickness absence and reduce dropouts. At the same time, preventive work will be done. Last year, a comprehensive evaluation of the program concluded as follows: “Our overall assessment is therefore that the industry program is an appropriate tool to help achieve the goals and ambitions in the IA agreement”. These are the industry programs in the IA agreement The creation of the industry programs in 2019 followed, among other things, from a recognition that one had not succeeded in achieving the goals in previous IA agreements through existing instruments. The goal was that, through a clear industry policy, clearer ownership from the parties and better proximity to the businesses, more targeted measures could be identified and implemented with a better effect on sickness absence and dropouts. An evaluation last year concluded as follows: “Our overall assessment is therefore that the industry program is a suitable instrument to help achieve the goals and ambitions of the IA agreement”. At the same time, the evaluation pointed out that all the industries that have an industry programme, apart from nursing homes, have had an overall percentage increase in sickness absence that is above the national figures for the period 2018-2023. At the same time, the increase is in several cases smaller for the businesses that participate in the industry programs than for the industry in general, and in several of the industry programs you can recently see a reduction in sickness absence among participating businesses. A total of seven industries have their own industry programme: Hospitals, nursing homes, kindergartens, scheduled buses and passenger transport, the food and beverage industry, the oil and gas supplier industry and the building and construction industry. The industries comprise a total of 670,000 employees. (Sources: Nav, the evaluation “Industry program as a means of action in the IA agreement”) Ultimatum Right now negotiations are taking place between the parties in working life and the government on a new IA agreement. But the hope of an agreement is fading: in the negotiations, LO and NHO have each given their own ultimatum on sick pay: LO wants to preserve the scheme, NHO wants to cut it. Now LO is calling out a warning: If there is not a new IA agreement, the industry program may disappear. And the job of reducing sickness absence is weakened. – We fear that they will fall away, and that would be a terrible shame. We have seen a very good effect from precisely these industry programmes, says first deputy head of LO, Sissel Skoghaug to news. – But sickness absence has also increased sharply in the sectors that have these industry programmes? – This is a sector where we see that challenges can be too low staffing and high workload. It can be both mentally and physically taxing. – LO can contribute to a new agreement by agreeing to sort out the sick pay scheme? – It is a total derailment. The IA agreement is about preventing illness, how we can work with a good working environment. CHALLENGES: Chief shop steward for the Trade Union at Haraldsvang nursing home May Britt Storum. Photo: Hedda Solbakken Also chief representative for the Trade Union at Haraldsvang nursing home May Britt Storum fears more employees with health challenges or that seniors may drop out of working life if there is not a new IA agreement. – It will be a huge challenge for our future healthcare system. In our own municipality, we need everyone to ensure good services and good quality, she says. “Giving and demanding” LO’s eagerness to get an agreement in place that lasts for four years is also linked to the fact that there are parliamentary elections next autumn. If there is a change of government, LO fears that the sick pay scheme will be called into question. NHO will therefore not sign a four-year agreement without a clear assumption that the sick pay scheme will be paid with a view to cuts. NHO does not want to comment on what might happen if there is no new agreement. – We think it is positive that all the main organizations are keen to continue the negotiations, says director of employment at NHO, Nina Melsom. Labor Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) does not want to comment on this matter to news, but was asked about the IA negotiations in the Storting before the weekend. – I can inform you that there are both rewarding and demanding negotiations taking place regarding a new agreement on inclusive working life. Published 21.11.2024, at 17.31
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The special follow-up Alice received when she fell ill may be lost – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
