The Academics break the negotiations in Oslo

Academics Akademikerne Payroll OsloChief Negotiator for the Academics, Erik Graff. Photo: Akademikerne

The Academics break the negotiations with Oslo

The Academics (Akademikerne) break the negotiations in Oslo with demands of changes to an outdated payroll system.

 

– Salary must be negotiated locally in the workplace, in order for the municipality to secure the necessary skills and provide good services to the population, says chief negotiator for the Academics, Erik Graff.

The night before Tuesday, the Academics broke the negotiations with the Oslo municipality, and the settlement is now going to take place through mediation. The academics accepted the financial framework for the settlement, but demand that the negotiations take place in the individual workplaces.

– Today’s rigid payroll system is not adapted to the municipality’s challenges and high ambitions. The municipality struggles to retain experienced employees and has spent millions on hiring external consultants. Local negotiations will make it easier to secure the skills Oslo needs – and deliver good services to the population, says Graff.

“Everybody” else has local negotiations

The rest of the municipalities in Norway, the hospitals and the state all have local negotiations, and Oslo is now the only area in which the salary is determined centrally for members of the Academics Union. A recent report from the socio-economic Analysis bureau (Samfunnsøkonomisk Analyse) shows that parts of the Oslo municipality have challenges with regards to retaining employees and to recruit specialists in technology and environment.

– The city council wishes Oslo to be “the world’s smartest city” and be at the forefront of environment, technology and welfare. The high level of ambition is incompatible with an old-fashioned payroll system, which the municipality is almost alone about maintaining, says Graff.

About the Academics

The academics are an employee organization for graduates with longer education. The organization was founded in 1997. The member unions are professional organizations for people with education from university or scientific colleges. The academics consist of 13 associations, with a total of 194,000 members.

© Akademikerne / #Norway Today