The private kindergartens are largely financed by public funds. In 2020, private kindergartens received NOK 24 billion in public subsidies. 86 per cent of the income comes from the public sector, and the rest from the parents of the children. While the strike has been ongoing, the kindergartens have been closed or have had reduced operations, and the kindergartens have not paid wages to the strikers. Nevertheless, the municipalities have continued to pay subsidies to the private kindergartens. This provokes reactions from the strikers. – As long as the kindergartens can profit from us being out on strike, they are in no great hurry to meet us with our demands. That’s what Renate Nilsen, an employee at the learning workshop Dalgårdtunet nursery school in Trondheim, says. Renate Nilsen, employed at the learning workshop Dalgårdtunet kindergarten in Trondheim, is skeptical that the municipalities will pay subsidies to the kindergartens during the strike. Photo: Stein Roar Leite / Stein Roar Leite – Contributes to greater profits The trade union shares the concern about the kindergartens’ subsidies during the strike. – We think it is unreasonable, says Mette Nord, head of the Trade Union. She believes this is because the municipality does not get the service they pay for, while there is a strike and reduced childcare facilities. Strike in private kindergartens Employees in private kindergartens have been on strike since 15 October. There are now a total of 2,400 strikers after there was a breakdown in the mediation in the wage settlement between the National Association of Private Nurseries and the Trade Union, the Education Association and Delta. The parties disagree about, among other things, the pension scheme for the employees in private kindergartens. Employees in the PBL kindergartens today have to pay a higher deductible for their pension than they have to in other private and municipal kindergartens, without obtaining a better pension at the other end, according to the Trade Union. – Do you think it weakens PBL’s will to find solutions around the negotiating table? – That is a question that must be asked of PBL. However, by continuing to maintain the transfers, it may influence the strike to be longer than necessary, because there will be no financial consequences, says Nord. – How? – There may be less will because you get money that does not go towards wages, but which contributes to a larger profit, says the manager. The head of the trade union wonders whether subsidies from the municipalities can prolong the strike. Photo: Stein Roar Leite / Stein Roar Leite Not saving large sums Marius Iversen, director of communications at the National Association of Private Kindergartens (PBL) denies that the nurseries are making large profits from the strike. Iversen says the strike is hitting the affected kindergartens very hard and that the strike is a big burden. – We save some salary expenses, but not large amounts in the grand scheme of things. This varies from nursery school to nursery school, says Iversen. – Does this mean that you have no incentive to continue the dialogue with the trade unions? – In no way. Both we and the member nurseries are very impatient, and have no interest in this becoming a prolonged strike. We want to help put an end to this conflict, and get back to normal everyday life as quickly as possible, says Iversen. He adds that the kindergartens receive a subsidy for providing an offer on an annual basis, and not based on the number of hours they provide an offer. There is great variation among the nurseries in relation to the number of weeks they are open, for example in summer. – It has never been an issue that neither municipalities nor private kindergartens should receive any cuts in funding as a result of such variations, says Iversen. Marius Iversen, director of communications at the National Association of Private Kindergartens (PBL), says the kindergartens are not making much profit from the strike. Photo: Barbro Andersen / news KS: – Unclear regulations In October KS recommended the municipalities to continue paying subsidies to private kindergartens, even when they are on strike. – The regulations here are unclear and we simply do not know when the municipality can withhold grants. That’s what Kristin Holm Jensen, department director at the Municipal Sector’s organization (KS) says. Holm Jensen explains that municipalities must comply with national rules, and that it is therefore national authorities that must clarify when grants can be withheld. – We are not a party to this conflict, but we must have a set of regulations that can give a clear indication of when we can possibly stop the subsidy to the kindergartens, says Holm Jensen. According to the Ministry of Education, it is the municipalities themselves who decide whether they will continue to provide subsidies to private kindergartens that are affected by strikes. Oslo is now considering cutting subsidies to strike-affected kindergartens, writes NTB. – If it is the case that the municipalities can reduce the subsidies, that is something we will look into, especially if the strike is prolonged, says Oslo City Council for Education and Knowledge Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll to NTB.
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Trade unions react to private kindergartens receiving subsidies during the strike – news Trøndelag
