Strike in Norway

Hotel and restaurant workers strike in Norway

By Jakob Esmann

As of Sunday morning (May 24th) around 3500 members of Fellesforbundet working at more than 350 hotels and restaurants went on strike in Norway. Their main demand is the right to local wage bargaining in the sector and that the lowest tariff in the collective agreement will be the minimum wages for the whole sector through extension mechanism.

Discussion with employers did not lead anywhere

The collective agreement in the Hotel and Restaurant sector does not include the right to conduct local bargaining following agreement at sectoral level has been reached. In most other collective agreements in Norway, workers have the right to negotiate wages at a local level, but employers still refuse this right for generally poorly paid hotel- and restaurant workers. Two years ago this was a central demand from Fellesforbundet, but at that stage an agreement was reached with the employers about to mutual working group to look into solutions. This work has not resulted in anything, which is why hotel and restaurant workers in Norway have brought up the demand again. However, as employers were not willing to discuss it, the negotiations committee did not see any other option than to go on strike in order to push for this demand.

Massive support from unions and members

There has been massive support for this action from members working in the hotel and restaurant sector, but also other mebers of Fellesforbundet working in other sectors. Fellesforbundet has also received huge support form trade union organization around the world. Tina M. Madsen the president of NU HRCT and 3F-PSHR group leader has sent her support to fellow hotel and restaurant workers in Norway.

The next phase of the strike will come into action as further 2500 workers at 210 hotels and restaurants will join their fellow workers on strike.