Alarms that Norway’s Public Roads Administration could collapse – VG

The union steward of the engineering organization NITO in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Siw Tyldum, says he needs to sound the alarm on the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

– We fear that the professional environment of the Norwegian Public Road Administration will collapse. We see a massive drain on skills and that they no longer have sufficient resources to carry out socially critical tasks, Tyldum tells VG.

She says there are several reasons for this dramatic development.

– In 2019, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration underwent two major reforms / restructurings: the regional reform and the transition from geographical regions to national divisions. These reforms have led the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to lose a great deal of valuable experience, he says:

Around 1,400 employees and their duties have moved to the new counties, while 1,600 employees have resigned due to uncertainty and unrest. In a short time, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has grown from 7,500 employees to about 4,500 employees.

– Artery for many years.

Tyldum says it is the especially high competition that is disappearing.

– Yes, there are many that disappear from the education groups in technology matters?

– Can it seem like a struggle for your engineers?

– No, we are talking about one year of leave for many years, which means that many professional groups are jumping ship. In addition, we are experiencing political degradation, which in general means that I have to conclude that we are dangerously close to a situation in which the country does not have a state road administration that can take care of the current infrastructure, develop it, take care of road safety, develop the digital road network, influence. the climate impact of the transport sector or take care of the responsibility of the current sector within transport.

It receives the full support of Executive Director Julie Brodtkorb of the Association of Mechanical Engineers, which organizes the companies that build our roads.

– We have fully supported reorganizations within this sector, including regional reform and the establishment of Nye Veier AS. But we also see that the consequence has been that the Norwegian Public Road Administration is depleted of resources and people, which means that key public emergency preparedness tasks are under threat, including emergency preparedness and road maintenance. We see the same as Tyldum; it’s time to sound the alarm, says Brodtkorb.

– Now politicians must have balls

She adds:

– We see that the best in the Norwegian Public Road Administration often end up in our companies or in Nye Veier. It is especially sad that this is happening at a time when the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has a fantastic boss in Ingrid Dahl Hovland. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has loyally followed the reforms and Hovland has in a short time changed the culture of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration from a bureaucratic culture to a ‘doer’ culture. Now politicians must have the balls to give Hovland the resources they need for reforms to be successful, says Brodtkorb.

Brodtkorb as police pants

Tyldum describes a development where the young and ambitious disappear and are left with people over 50.

– Of those who have left this year (not retired), the average age is 43, while the average age in the Norwegian Public Road Administration as a whole has risen to over 50 years. This means that what should be competition for the future “runs out”.

– The closure is a topic of conversation

Specifically, it states that 286 people have left between January 1 and the end of August.

– 37 percent of them have chosen to retire, while just over 240 have “escaped”. Those who quit do so primarily out of fear for the future of the agency and therefore lack of predictability for their own future. It has become a common topic of conversation among employees that the government is aiming to shut down the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

The state development company Nye Veier AS was established in 2016 to build roads quickly.

– Are the New Roads running out of money?

– Nye Veier appears to be the baby of Transport Minister Knut Arild Hareide, but Nye Veier is not the biggest challenge for the Norwegian Public Road Administration. These are the big cuts that are being made in the budgets of the Public Highway Administration. The government says it will invest in the construction of roads and bridges, but the reality is that the cuts in the state budget of three billion crowns will constitute further cuts in man-years, on the order of 1000 man-years. This way, there will be no more new roads and bridges.

She adds:

– In addition to affecting a thousand man-years with us, the cuts will also affect 1,600 man-years in private companies, which are not authorized to build planned roads.

Way bigger than the way

He also denies that his proposal is part of a budget battle for next year’s state budget.

– No, but it will help reinforce a dangerous weakening of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. I think the FRP and other parties who want to build roads in our country must realize that the abandonment of road administration has gone so far that it is critical. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration will simply not be able to perform socially critical tasks if the competition’s flight continues.

Tyldum says some of the cuts are because the railroad is not required to narrow.

– For the first time, investments in railways are larger than investments in roads: NOK 16.1 billion against NOK 12.8 billion of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. It is part of a climate initiative, but we react strongly to the fact that rail projects, where investments are above budget, should not be cut, as the Norwegian Public Roads Administration did when Rogfast became more expensive than expected. When the transport budget has to be balanced, it is the public highway administration that loses when the railroad spends too much money.

Hareide vows that the Norwegian Public Road Administration will be the big brother

Transport Minister Hareide (KrF) says it takes the signs.

– I think we should be honest that the regional reform and the loss of 1300-1400 man-years has become a challenge for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and that they are losing valuable people. We do not want a weak road administration, on the contrary. I think that when we present the National Transport Plan in March, people will see that we are investing in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and that it will be a very attractive high-tech workplace for many years to come.

He says there is only room for one older brother and there are no new roads.

– I see what they say about New Roads being my baby. New Roads is important, but as a little brother in a group of five children, I know what it means to have an older brother. And there is no doubt that the Norwegian Public Roads Administration will be and must be the big brother of the Norwegian road in the future. I also appreciate that you highlight Hovland’s efforts. She will be able to lift the highway administration for years to come, Hareide says.

Roads Director Ingrid Dahl Hovland believes in another spring.

– The past year has shown us how important it is to have a strong Norwegian Public Roads Administration in terms of national readiness.

She says they are still a very large agency with a lot of experience.

– We are in full swing to build a new organization, and I find a lot of enthusiasm and impact in our ranks. I tell our people that we must retain employees and develop new skills. We will hire new employees, says Hovland.