The Storting will now change the rules to secure further layoffs – NRK Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio

Prime Minister Erna Solberg encourages people laid off during the corona pandemic to find a new job.

The waiter Malin Stavsøien in Trondheim is one of those who has done just that. And it has cost him a lot of money.

– I have had problems paying the bills, but fortunately I received the support of family and friends, he says.

He first told his story to Adresseavisen.

He was fired

The story begins on March 12 of last year. Stavsøien was fired, like many others in the catering industry.

The bar he worked at decided to stay closed this summer, after the government opened the bars. So Stavsøien decided to look for a new job.

He got a part-time job at the Tyven bar in Trondheim and a temp job at another. But the joy of being at work was going to be short-lived.

The infection situation worsened and the rules for pouring tightened. Bar guests prefer to have a drink at home. Stavsøien was fired for the second time last fall. This time he did not receive unemployment benefits from Nav. They thought he had left his old job for no good reason.

In such cases, you only receive unemployment benefits after an “extended waiting period.” Stavsøien had to go twelve weeks without income.

The bartender complained about the case to Nav, but was rejected.

Now the majority of the opposition in the Storting will prevent the same from happening to other laid off workers, who are risking a new job despite the uncertainty caused by the corona pandemic.

Majority to secure layoffs against long wait times

The Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Socialist People’s Party said today that they will ask the government to ensure that laid-off people do not receive a long waiting period for unemployment benefits because they have changed jobs while being laid off during the pandemic. of covid-19.

It happened during question time at the Storting.

After Prime Minister Erna Solberg answered the Red Greens’ questions, power was left to the FRP. The case will be examined at the Storting on Thursday. As several times before during the pandemic, the red-green FRPs need help to overthrow the government.

Erlend Wiborg from the Progress Party confirms that they will vote in favor of the red-green proposal.

– We are in an extraordinary situation. Many are laid off, and it’s good that you try to apply for new jobs later, he says.

– Shows that democracy works

– I was very, very happy, says Stavsøien when NRK tells him this.

Stavsøien did not even know that the matter would be discussed at the Storting today.

– They took me to bed a bit, but I felt it was good to see that democracy works and that even small issues like mine can mean something to many, he says.

Solberg: – A challenge that, of course, we must look at

When asked how the Malin case relates to her own request for layoffs to apply for a new job, Prime Minister Erna Solberg responds:

– It’s a challenge with waiting time if you get into a new job and get fired quickly. These are things that we obviously have to look at.

– Should layoffs prevent quitting and applying for new jobs because of the risk of losing unemployment benefits?

– No, they shouldn’t. It will be more difficult to return to work if your job does not accept you and you have been laid off for a long time. Show all the research, Solberg responds.

– Shows the vulnerability of changing jobs.

It was Labor leader Jonas Gahr Støre who raised Stavsøien’s case during Question Time today.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg did not respond whether the ruling parties will support the opposition’s proposal.

– The Prime Minister is completely unaware of the situation Malin has gotten into. She made a decision that the Prime Minister actually asked for. This shows the vulnerability of being fired, the vulnerability of changing jobs, says Støre.

When laid off workers make the decision to find a new job, politicians must facilitate that, he believes.

As mentioned above, Nav has rejected Stavsøien’s application for postpaid unemployment benefits, which she ignored after being fired for the second time last year.

When asked whether this decision will mean that Stavsøien will receive this back money, Støre responds that he “hopes it will be treated properly” when he has now appealed Nav’s rejection.

– We can learn from this case. Most in the Storting do, but not the government. It is an expression of an unfair crisis policy, says Støre.

He believes that Labor Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (H) should enter into a dialogue with Nav to rectify this.

Minister of Labor: – No need to change the rules

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen believes that current legislation already gives Nav scope to exercise discretion in such cases. And that, therefore, it is not necessary to change the rules, which the opposition will now force the government to implement.

– In this case, I think the Storting would not have had to make that decision, he says.

Since Nav has room to exercise discretion in such cases, Isaksen emphasizes that there can also be wrong decisions.

– This does not mean that there cannot be erroneous evaluations, he says.

The Labor Minister refers to Nav’s appeal process and will not comment on what Malin Stavsøien has now in store.