[ad_1]
AL Pier: Hurtigruten Fritjof Nansen’s ship to Hellesylt pier Photo: Odin Jæger
Several politicians react to Hurtigruten’s use of the MS “Fridtjof Nansen” to host the production of “Mission: Impossible” and the use of foreign crew members. Hurtigruten rejects the criticism.
– I think Hurtigruten has incredibly poor judgment when we know that a lot of Norwegian seafarers are fired these days.
Parliamentary Representative Sylvi Listhaug (Frp) says that the ship MS “Fridtjof Nansen” uses Filipino workers, in connection with them who house Tom Cruise and the rest of the film production during the filming of the seventh edition of “Mission Impossible”. The ship is now at the Hellesylt dock.
VG wrote on Monday that Fellesforbundet and Sjømannsforbundet have reported Hurtigruten to police for what they believe is a violation of immigration law. They believe that the ship in this case is considered a hotel and therefore it is necessary to have a work permit to be able to work in Norway.
TOWARDS THE HURTIGRUTEN: Sylvi Listhaug believes that the Hurtigruten should feel its social responsibility and use the Norwegian crew on board the MS “Fridtjof Nansen”. Photo: Helge Mikalsen, VG
Disappointed
Listhaug believes that Hurtigruten should have taken social responsibility and brought back some of the Norwegian employees that the company has laid off. She says it is disappointing that Hurtigruten is laying off Norwegian seafarers, asking the state for help in a crisis and using foreign labor for much lower wages.
– I would have thought better of Hurtigruten. They receive hundreds of millions of taxes annually to transport people and goods along the coast of Norway. Then, they perform the task in this way.
also read
Report to Hurtigruten for offenses on Tom Cruise’s ships
The MS “Fridtjof Nansen” is an expedition cruiser that sails under NIS flags and is therefore subject to international rules, unlike ships registered in NOR. Hurtigruten therefore uses Filipino crew, which according to the Norwegian Seamen’s Association earn up to 29 kroner at the current dollar exchange rate.
“Cowboy conditions”
Terje Aasland from the Labor Party also reacts strongly, saying that it will be completely wrong to use a cruise ship as a hotel.
– These are cowboy conditions in which we establish cruises for the purpose of running hotels with lower salaries than those received by hotel employees.
It is very clear that the NIS law must have been violated and that it should not be possible to interpret the law to mean that you can use a cruise ship as a hotel when you dock. Nor does he understand that the Norwegian Maritime Authority believes that the operation is legal.
– If it’s law, the law is wrong. So we must change the law.
Aasland has sent questions to the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Iselin Nybø (V), asking if NIS ships can operate as hotel ships. No response has been received.
The Labor Party joined forces with the Center Party and the Socialist People’s Party last year and put forward a proposal to toughen the law to guarantee Norwegian wages and working conditions in Norwegian waters. He did not support the Progress Party, but they agreed on a proposal to ask the government to establish a committee.
Listhaug says that Frp wanted to wait for proposals from the committee that is now working only on this.
– But why didn’t you, which is called the sailors’ party, agree to the proposal?
– We will know what we do to ensure that the result is more Norwegian seafarers on Norwegian ships. We will support good proposals that help Norwegian seafarers keep their jobs and facilitate more Norwegian seafarers on Norwegian ships.
COWBOY CONDITIONS: Terje Aasland of the Labor Party says she does not understand that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate believes that the operation of the Hurtigruten and the MS ship “Fridtjof Nansen” is legal. Photo: Frode Hansen
I do not agree with the criticism
– This is a constructed disagreement, Anne Marit Bjørnflaten, director of government contact at Hurtigruten, tells VG.
She says Hurtigruten doesn’t want to use his expedition boats as floating hotels in the Norwegian fjords.
– The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has already clarified that we are within the NIS regulations. Furthermore, in this particular case we have offered the crew a salary in accordance with Norwegian terms, so we do not agree with the criticisms from Listhaug and Aasland.
According to Bjørnflaten, the MS Fritjof Nansen cannot be defined as a hotel ship. This is because it is the production company that has chartered the ship for a short period only for its employees.
– On a hotel ship, anyone can reserve a cabin. In this case, it is not possible to reserve a stateroom, so to say that this allows cruise ships to anchor generally as long-term hotels in Norwegian ports and conduct hotel operations in competition with Norwegian hotels is not true.
DISAGREE: Anne Marit Bjørnflaten, Director of Public Relations for Hurtigruten, says they do not agree with the criticism they receive from Listhaug and Aasland. Photo: Hurtigruten
– Operates in tough competition
Bjørnflaten has previously stated to VG that the Norwegian Seamen’s Association is well aware that there is no “social dumping” on NIS ships.
– The employees are seafarers who operate within the framework that applies to the crew of these vessels.
– MS “Fridtjof Nansen” has not been chosen to save costs, but because the ship is best suited for this task, especially for infection control reasons, he adds.
She says that Hurtigruten in this case has asked the Norwegian Seamen’s Association for a dialogue on where the salary level should be, and that the company will offer salaries at the Norwegian level.
– Does this mean that you want to change the salary level permanently for foreign workers?
– We operate our NIS vessels, both along the Norwegian coast and in international waters, in fierce competition with other global players. We follow international collective agreements, but our salary level is above industry standards.
