Sailors in Hurtigruten talk about culture of fear under Skjeldam – NRK Troms and Finnmark – Local news, TV and radio

After attorney Jan Fougner presented the Hurtigruten-commissioned investigation report, the first piece of advice to CEO Daniel Skjeldam was to change the culture so that employees dare to speak up.

But NRK has information that it was during Skjeldam’s time in the chair that this uculture has been allowed to establish itself in Hurtigruten.

– We now have a culture of fear in Hurtigruten. If you say something that management doesn’t like, they curse themselves. The person who spoke was called on the carpet, perhaps transferred to another ship, says an officer NRK spoke with.

NRK has been in contact with several Norwegian seafarers on the Hurtigruten. No one will get up; they openly say that the consequences will be too dire for them.

But everyone confirms what Stian Grøthe of the Norwegian Seafarers Association said last Thursday the 18th of Dagsnytt, when the Hurtigruten investigation report was presented.

– The most serious thing is that there is no culture to say anything about key things related to safety and risk in the company. We in the seamen’s association have long received comments that there is a culture of fear in Hurtigruten, Grøthe said.

Previously, NRK has been in contact with several Filipino seafarers, who also speak about the culture of fear in the shipping company. He was rejected by Hurtigruten.

– It is high indoors at Hurtigruten and we have the attitude that so much comment, criticism and advocacy is allowed. We also have a close and good dialogue with shop stewards about working conditions on all of our ships, responded Asta Lassesen, Hurtigruten’s acting director of operations.

Changed culture

Seafarers who have worked for Hurtigruten for many years speak of a corporate culture that was quite different 10 or 20 years ago. In the early 2000s, it was well below the ceiling, say employees NRK has been in contact with. The manager’s door was always open and there was a low threshold for airing concerns to management.

At Dagsnytt 18, on Thursday night, an attempt was made to ask Skjeldam about what signals he has sent in the organization that have led the culture to become what it has become. Skjeldam did not always respond to what was asked.

According to the seafarers, the cultural change started with the one NRK talked about about ten years ago. Daniel Skjeldam started as CEO in 2012. Some of the changes will be related to the middle management of his predecessor, CEO Olav Fjell, but development must have accelerated after Skjeldam took over.

Seasoned officers speak of a new culture, where the operation of ships is controlled in detail from the shipping office, and where there is risk, to say the least internally.

Relieved to leave Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten has received just under NOK 1 billion in annual state support to operate scheduled traffic between Bergen and Kirkenes. But starting in the New Year, Hurtigruten will lose some of this traffic to Havila. After a tender competition, they had to take charge of four of the ships that sailed along the coast. Therefore, the crews of four of Hurtigruten’s ships will be transferred to Havila.

– Many are relieved to move to Havila. People are afraid to say anything, we have a culture of fear and it is very low under the roof, says one of the sailors to NRK.

So far, only one of Hurtigruten’s leaders has been affected by the scandal this summer. Fleet Commander Bent Martini was removed from his post in early August. He was the closest leader for sea captains on ships, and several of the NRK sources on ships describe him as a good and professionally competent chief.

– There will always be frustrations among employees, but people on ships have never been so frustrated as they are now, says a former officer at Hurtigruten who still has contact with colleagues.

Stian Grøthe of the Norwegian Seamen’s Association believes the problem is at the top and that on Thursday the CEO was more concerned with defending himself than acknowledging the problem.

– When you go to work, it should be a matter of course for the employer to take the best care of your health and safety as possible. It hasn’t happened at Hurtigruten. One of the explanations is the culture, which is very bad, and Skjeldam, at the top, must address it, he has to start with himself. He’s the one responsible and there’s no one else I can point to, says Grøthe.