Thinks that FrP is a Trojan horse

Arild Grande, Labour Party, Nord-Trøndelag. Trojan horse Wage TermsArild Grande, Labour Party, Nord-Trøndelag. Photo: Stortinget.no

Believes that FrP is a Trojan horse

– FrP destroys Norwegian working life from the inside, says Arild Grande, spokesperson for Social Policy in Labour (Ap). He calls FrP a Trojan horse.

 

During last weekend’s National Convention at Gardermoen, party leader of the Progress Party (FrP), Siv Jensen, challenged the Labour Party on being the party for workers. It does not go well with Arild Grande, the evening before he will make the May 1st speech in Stjørdal in Trøndelag.

– Frp has for a long time claimed to be the party for the workers. But in political action they have always been on the wrong side of the fence. Every time we have put forward suggestions that will ensure a fairer working life, FrP has voted against us. It does not help that FrP put on their finery, when they are still the same old party inside, says Arild Grande.

Must improve

– Why do you think so many workers vote for FrP?

– The picture is likely nuanced. The Labour Party clearly has the biggest support among workers. It is we who are to be the workers’ party. But we must improve as well. The Progress Party has succeeded in cloaking the parts of their policy that are in direct confrontation with Norwegian workers. It the Government parties tried to do during the election campaign, ie to remove cases of conflict. Because they know that if there is a focus on labour policy, they lose out, says the Labour Representative.

He claims that Frp is trying to pass itself off as the party that wishes to strengthen the Norwegian working life.

– But all experience with Frp’s policy indicates that it reinforces the problems in working life.

FrP is in many ways a Trojan horse in Norwegian working life, they knock on the door and ask to be let in, but when they get inside, they show their true face and destroy the working life from the inside, says Arild Grande.

Frp: – Underestimates the voters

Erlend Wiborg (Frp), chairperson of the Parliament’s Social and Labour Committee, hits back fiercely.

– Arild Grande continues to underestimate Norwegian voters. We must respect that many workers choose to vote for Frp and other parties than the Labour Party, without Grande and Labour saying that voters do not understand their own best, says the FrP Representative.

– Many voters appreciate that FrP and the Government have reduced unemployment, strengthened the protection against being laid off for older workers and providing employees with increased flexibility in managing their own working day. Additionally, many voters appreciate that FrP has demonstrated its ability for action in the transport sector and the immigration policy. I think many voters think it’s sad that Ap has changed and forgotten about most people, says Erlend Wiborg.

Social dumping

Arild Grande, who chairs the Labour Party’s Labour Committee and represents Ap in the Parliament’s Social and Labour Committee, is fierce in his criticism of the Solberg Government.

– The sum of what the Government is doing is amplifying the problems in Norwegian business life, rather than counteracting them. Lack of efforts to combat labour crimes and social dumping leads to serious Norwegian companies being outmaneuvered by criminal actors, who rely on hired foreign labour, he says.

Grande believes that temporary employment contributes to deterioate the basic safety of the working life.

Destroys the working life

– The Government makes it more expensive to be in a Trade Union by freezing the level of deduction instead of compensating for price and wage growth. Prime Minister Erna Solberg and her Government are destroying Norwegian working life.

– Those are harsh words …?

– Yes, but then the situation is serious. Our society is based on safe, predictable working conditions. When employment crimes are evolving as they now do, NOK 28 billion is drained from the society annually. If the pillars of the workplace crumble, it will overthrow our social model, says Arild Grande.

Serious threat

He claims that the Conservatives (H) and FrP are spreading uncertainty about the safety of Norwegian working life.

– Representatives of the Government parties are constantly promoting views that the sick pay scheme needs to be altered and that days without pay should be introduced when falling ill. These are disturbing signals now that the IA (Working life inclusion) agreement is to be renegotiated.

– Declining numbers in those organized in Trade Unions pose a serious threat to a safe and fair working life. In Norway, the proportion is presently below 50 per cent, which is lowest of the Nordic countries. The alarm bells should toll in the Government. Nevertheless, the Government’s policy reinforces the downward trend. The Government even ignores the social parties in important discussions, this weakens the tripartite cooperation, which has been the most important success factor for Norwegian working life, says Arild Grande.

 

© Dagbladet / #Norway Today