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Teachers in Norway likely to strike over wage negotiations

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Teachers in Norway likely to strike over wage negotiations
Teachers in Norway will go in strike two weeks from now. Pictured is a teacher and a classroom. Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash

School teachers in Norway could be taken out on strike in two weeks as unions representing education professionals are unhappy with the proposed wage rises offered by the state. 

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A major strike was averted on Tuesday when the municipal sector agreed on a wage rise of 3.84 percent, after mediation talks went into overtime. 

However, teachers could still be taken out on strike as education unions are unhappy with the state's offer, with industrial action potentially beginning as early as two weeks from now. 

"The teachers have come out (of the settlement) poorly, we were the wage losers last year, KS (the employer organisation for the public sector) made sure of that. Now they are setting up a scheme that will ensure teachers will have poorer wage growth," Stefan Handal, negotiator for Unio and leader of the Education Association (Utdanningsforbundet), told public broadcaster NRK

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Handal added that strikes in the education sector would commence two weeks from now.

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Technically, potential strikes would have to be discussed by the central board at Unio. However, Newswire NTB reports that it has been informed that it is unlikely that a meeting of the central board would lead to strikes being averted. 

The National Association of Schools has also announced it would strike in 14 days. Lecturers are also unhappy with the state's proposal, and the central board of the Norwegian Lecturers' Association would meet to discuss the next steps. 

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