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This summer, Nordic Choice, owned by Petter Stordalen, announced that there could be layoffs of hotel chain employees.
According to E24, this process has already started, reporting that an unknown number of employees have been laid off.
– We were asked if it was true that we had sent layoffs as a result of the crown situation. We have had to do that, something that we have also confirmed before to other media. We must continually assess whether there is a basis for continued dismissal of those who, sadly, have yet been fired, but there is no termination process that has started as E24 describes, writes communications consultant Geir Økland at Nordic Choice in a message from text.
There may be more layoffs next week, according to shop steward Merethe Sutton.
– Very bitter
Union representative Merethe Sutton at Nordic Choice tells DN that she is not aware of any layoffs other than those that have already taken place at headquarters. But towards the end of next week, the shop stewards will meet with the hotel chain’s management to discuss future operations.
– After the new restrictions came, the door hook is too much, now it looks ugly. Thinking that the reality after the meeting is the layoffs. We know that the central office has laid off a lot and they have taken most of the noise so far, Sutton says.
Sutton says his hotel has taken infection control seriously.
– When you know that you have done everything you can to follow the infection control rules, it is actually very bitter. I understand that people are tired of staying home, but if people give a damn about infection control rules, we will be unemployed. We cannot manage hotels without income.
131 million in cash support
The hotel chain was hit hard by the pandemic and the consequent travel restrictions. For the period from March to July, the company that owns Nordic Choice, Strawberry Group, received approximately NOK 131 million in cash support from the state.
In a letter sent to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in May, the hotel chain’s human resources manager, Karin Sjögren, wrote the following:
“I would like to point out that now, unfortunately, we are forced to start a major reduction process as of August 1, as the government has decided not to extend the layoff plan. We expect the layoffs to be granted by the end of August» .
Choice owner Petter Stordalen himself announced that there would be layoffs at the chain, in an Instagram video as early as March:
Petter Stordalen to his employees on March 18: – I was hoping I never had to post this video
On Wednesday, March 18, Petter Stordalen posted a video on Instagram where he spoke to employees after Nordic Choice laid off several thousand hotel employees.
02:14
Published:
– Unfortunately, we do not avoid layoffs and layoffs. It is not a decision we want to make, it is a decision we must make, Petter Stordalen said in the video.
In June, news came that the Scandic Norway hotel chain was cutting around 1,000 man-years in Norway. The hotel chain, which is the largest in the Nordic region, had received NOK 129 million in cash at the same time from March to May due to the crown crisis.(Terms)Copyright Dagens Næringsliv AS and / or our suppliers. We would like you to share our cases via a link, which leads directly to our pages. Copying or other use of all or part of the content may only be made with written permission or as permitted by law. For more terms, see here.
