[ad_1]
Bus drivers have the right to strike, but not to expose society to danger to life due to the increase in corona infection.
In much of eastern Norway, schoolchildren and others are affected by the extensive bus strike. 3,800 bus drivers in Oslo and Viken went on strike demanding higher wages.
In a time of a state of emergency where most people fear for their jobs, companies fail and more than 200,000 are totally or partially unemployed, it is not musical to stop society with a wage dispute.
It’s especially unmusical when the same industry has received NOK 3.1 billion from the community to keep businesses alive and make up for lost ticket revenue.
The strike is further sparked by the fact that many fear being infected by corona in crowded public transport, and now risk being forced to board the subway or other congested means of transport.
From the outside, a bus strike is now reminiscent of sheer blackmail, where society is held hostage so that a small group of workers with relatively secure jobs receive higher wages.
If there is information that the strike creates situations with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, the authorities should cut off and use force to stop it.
The parties, naturally, have a different view of the case:
– The distance between the parts was too great, we were on each of our planet. We never had a proper discussion about solutions, union leader Jim Klungnes at Yrkestrafikkforbundet tells NRK.
– Fewer travelers and lower ticket revenues lead to a difficult and uncertain situation. The most important thing for us is to avoid layoffs, secure jobs and maintain good bus service for passengers. So we don’t get a chance to give more than other groups have received, says CEO Jon Stordragne at NHO Transport.
According to NHO Transport, the average salary for bus drivers in 2019 is around 450,000 NOK. To date, the industry has received NOK 3.1 billion from the state in compensation for lost ticket revenue.
– In this situation, there is no room for extraordinary salary supplements, so we are surprised that the workers’ side has chosen to go on strike, says Stordrange.
CRUSHS: – Federation leader Jim Klungnes in the Professional Traffic Association protests against bus drivers who eat crumbs. (Stock photo)
Photo: Per Christian Lind
The main argument of the other party is that it has been agreed that the salary of bus drivers should be more in line with that of industrial workers, and that the distance has become greater in recent years.
– We experience that the employer side uses the pandemic in which we find ourselves as a pretext. The bus companies are not in crisis and almost no drivers have been laid off. However, drivers will have to settle once again for the crumbs. We are not in that, says Klungnes.
In a normal situation, a strike is a democratic right in a wage dispute. If you are not satisfied with the salary, you must be allowed not to work. But this is not a normal situation. Society is in full swing and in Oslo there is great fear that corona infection has taken hold again. Many people fear closures that affect life and the workplace.
When 3,800 bus drivers go on strike, passengers are forced to use other means of transportation. And passenger flows can quickly cause unsustainable congestion elsewhere. This is particularly delicate in a situation where the city of Oslo is already considering new measures to stop the outbreak of the crown.
The Government is normally reluctant to use a mandatory salary board, which means that the National Salary Board can determine the salary settlement in a binding way for both parties. Such a decision must be made by the Storting, but if the Storting is not united (as it is now), the government can adopt it as an interim arrangement.
There is no law that states when the government and the Storting can adopt a mandatory salary board without conflicting with the right to labor disputes. But normally the conflict must affect the so-called “vital social interests”, in practice completely paralyzing society or threatening the life, health and personal safety of people.
With a life-threatening pandemic threatening to cause another wave of deaths, little will be needed to meet this requirement. Especially in a time of a state of emergency where normal rights of free movement are neglected. In other words, the threshold is much lower than normal for intervening in the bus strike.
P.S! What do you think of bus drivers going on strike during a pandemic year? Write a reader letter!
[ad_2]
