Solvang ignited the strike debate: – A very dangerous situation

On Thursday night, the stage was set for a debate on the bus strike at NRK Debatten. On Monday, Nettavisen editor Gunnar Stavrum started a discussion about fighting for higher wages for a task force that now deserves a strike that could potentially increase the risk of infection.

– In a time of emergency when most people fear for their jobs, companies go bankrupt and more than 200,000 are totally or partially unemployed, it is not musical to stop society with a wage dispute, Stavrum wrote in a comment on the Monday.

Beforehand, Fredrik Solvang had compromised half of Twitter with this question:

Oslo City Councilor Raymond Johansen was clear in his concern when new restrictions were introduced in the capital on Monday:

– Overcrowded trams during a pandemic increase the risk of infection, said Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) during the press conference Monday afternoon.

– A very dangerous situation

At NRK Debatten Thursday night, Nettavisen editor Stavrum delivered this salve of power:

– We are experiencing the biggest crisis in Norway since the Second World War. Jobs are closed and companies go bankrupt. What we need at least now is to frame a social function as central as public transport.

But union representatives have denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday in which they stated: “Similar unsubstantiated allegations have been made more than once about unions. It is employers’ neglect of long-standing promises that are Behind this, said the leader of Fellesforbundet, Jørn Eggum:

– It’s a major strike. Drivers have been waiting 13 years to deliver on their promises. It is about having a living wage. Many drivers must have two jobs to manage and the salary level is too 40,000 kroner below what it should have been under the NHO deal, said Jørn Eggum, head of Fellesforbundet at the beginning of the debate.

The premise of the strike is a 2006 agreement that states that bus drivers must approach the wages of industrial workers. Eggum and the unions encountered opposition from both the other NHO Transport party and Stavrum.

– Today the trams were so full that the doors were difficult to return. Those who do not believe it leads to an increased risk of infection have not followed up in the past six months. We must bear in mind that this is a very dangerous situation! It can cause an increase in infection. It can cause many deaths. It can also lead to society closing down again and many in other occupational groups losing their jobs as a result of this sacred wage formation, Stavrum said.

Solvang on the brink with Eggum

Fredrik Solvang came into conflict with Jørn Eggum when Eggum avoided answering clearly whether unions would take into account the infection map when the strike could escalate on Saturday.

– Do you want to take into account what the infection map looks like? That is a simple question! in Solvang.

In the end, Eggum had to admit that abstinence was completely decided, meaning that he was not affected by the development of the infection until the weekend.

– You cannot eat percentages

Jon H. Stordrange, CEO of NHO Transport, believes the offering is just as good for bus drivers as it is for other occupational groups and that there is no room for major additions this year.

Neither Yrkestrafikkforbundet’s bargaining leader Linda Jæger nor Jørn Eggum wanted to specify the wage claim, but denied that it was about 20 crowns per hour.

– The employer has not shown any intention to meet with us. They use the pandemic as a lever to keep bus drivers’ wages low, Jæger said, but without specifying what the exact requirements are, when asked by the host.

– Non-solidarity strike

Nurse Enny Solli was very critical of the strike and described it as unpleasant:

– All those who have had socially critical jobs have assumed responsibility. Now transportation workers choose to step outside of this responsibility that everyone else assumes. We are in the midst of a pandemic, we have increasing infection rates in Oslo, which is now one of the worst cities in Europe when it comes to increasing infection. Health authorities should come in and demand a mandatory salary board, Solli said.

Sigrunn Aasland, from the think tank Agenda, rejected that the steak represents a health hazard, but believes that the strike is essential for the formation of wages.

– Purely cynical, this is the right time to go on strike. So you get a much better bargaining chip. But I think most people have sympathy for bus drivers, but risk losing it, Gunnar Stavrum said.