Five big news stories from Norway that you need to know about this week
Norway's health minister resigns amidst scandal, a controversial decision on refugees knocked back, and wages are among the stories you need to know about this week.
Health Minister resigns over master's degree plagiarism
Ingvild Kjerkol announced her resignation as Health Minister on Friday following the news that her master's degree would be withdrawn due to the thesis she submitted in 2021 containing plagiarism.
Norway's PM, Jonas Gahr Støre, said it would have been impossible for her to continue in the role.
"I have concluded that it will be very difficult (for Kjerkol) to continue the demanding job as Minister of Health and Care," he said at the press conference where her resignation was announced.
"We have greatly appreciated Ingvild in government, both as a minister and because she is a strong politician," Støre added.
Wage deal for the industrial sector sets benchmark for other sectors
After talks went into mediation overtime, a deal was struck between the United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet) and the Federation of Norwegian Industry (Norsk Industri).
The overall wage rise could be 5.2 percent, equating to a real wage increase of 1.1 percent for 2024 once estimated inflation is accounted for.
The agreement applies to Norway's "front line" industrial workers. This sector is called the front line because it leads wage talks due to being exposed to competition. This then acts as a benchmark for other industries.
The agreement means that most unions should make good on their promise to deliver a real wage increase for most workers in Norway.
READ MORE: How the wage deal for Norway's industrial sector affects you
Drammen's controversial refugee decision blocked
The Norwegian State Administrator, on Tuesday, announced that the decision in Drammen only to accept Ukrainian refugees was discriminatory.
"We have come to the conclusion that this point is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination in the Constitution and the Equality and Discrimination Act," the State Administrator for Oslo and Viken wrote on Tuesday.
Drammen, in February, said that it would only accept Ukrainian refugees as these would be "easier to integrate" than other asylum seekers.
Inflation continues to slow
The latest figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway show that Norway's consumer price index, a measure of inflation, was 3.9 percent between March 2023 and last month.
"Price growth slowed for the third consecutive month in March. Since the turn of the year, prices have increased significantly less than at the same time last year," Espen Kristiansen from Statistics Norway said.
With the exception of September 2023, the twelve-month inflation figures have not been below 4 percent since the start of 2022.
A drop in fuel and energy prices contributed to the inflation figures for March. Food prices also fell, but are still 6.1 percent higher than a year ago.
Bus firm bankruptcy could cost Oslo more than 1.2 billion kroner
Unibuss, which provides buses for public transport firm Ruter, could pay up to 200 million kroner to Ruter due to winter issues with the electric bus fleet.
Ruter, the company responsible for organising public transport in Oslo and Akershus, is demanding 200 million from Unibuss due to delays and cancellations this winter. Sporveien, which owns Unibuss, has said that the bus company would go bankrupt if it had to pay this money.
"If Ruter insists on this, the board of Unibuss will have no choice but to bankrupt the company," Sporveien's CEO Birte Sjule wrote to the government in a letter obtained by the newspaper Avisa Oslo.
A potential bankruptcy could cost Oslo municipality 1.2 billion kroner.
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Health Minister resigns over master's degree plagiarism
Ingvild Kjerkol announced her resignation as Health Minister on Friday following the news that her master's degree would be withdrawn due to the thesis she submitted in 2021 containing plagiarism.
Norway's PM, Jonas Gahr Støre, said it would have been impossible for her to continue in the role.
"I have concluded that it will be very difficult (for Kjerkol) to continue the demanding job as Minister of Health and Care," he said at the press conference where her resignation was announced.
"We have greatly appreciated Ingvild in government, both as a minister and because she is a strong politician," Støre added.
Wage deal for the industrial sector sets benchmark for other sectors
After talks went into mediation overtime, a deal was struck between the United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet) and the Federation of Norwegian Industry (Norsk Industri).
The overall wage rise could be 5.2 percent, equating to a real wage increase of 1.1 percent for 2024 once estimated inflation is accounted for.
The agreement applies to Norway's "front line" industrial workers. This sector is called the front line because it leads wage talks due to being exposed to competition. This then acts as a benchmark for other industries.
The agreement means that most unions should make good on their promise to deliver a real wage increase for most workers in Norway.
READ MORE: How the wage deal for Norway's industrial sector affects you
Drammen's controversial refugee decision blocked
The Norwegian State Administrator, on Tuesday, announced that the decision in Drammen only to accept Ukrainian refugees was discriminatory.
"We have come to the conclusion that this point is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination in the Constitution and the Equality and Discrimination Act," the State Administrator for Oslo and Viken wrote on Tuesday.
Drammen, in February, said that it would only accept Ukrainian refugees as these would be "easier to integrate" than other asylum seekers.
Inflation continues to slow
The latest figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway show that Norway's consumer price index, a measure of inflation, was 3.9 percent between March 2023 and last month.
"Price growth slowed for the third consecutive month in March. Since the turn of the year, prices have increased significantly less than at the same time last year," Espen Kristiansen from Statistics Norway said.
With the exception of September 2023, the twelve-month inflation figures have not been below 4 percent since the start of 2022.
A drop in fuel and energy prices contributed to the inflation figures for March. Food prices also fell, but are still 6.1 percent higher than a year ago.
Bus firm bankruptcy could cost Oslo more than 1.2 billion kroner
Unibuss, which provides buses for public transport firm Ruter, could pay up to 200 million kroner to Ruter due to winter issues with the electric bus fleet.
Ruter, the company responsible for organising public transport in Oslo and Akershus, is demanding 200 million from Unibuss due to delays and cancellations this winter. Sporveien, which owns Unibuss, has said that the bus company would go bankrupt if it had to pay this money.
"If Ruter insists on this, the board of Unibuss will have no choice but to bankrupt the company," Sporveien's CEO Birte Sjule wrote to the government in a letter obtained by the newspaper Avisa Oslo.
A potential bankruptcy could cost Oslo municipality 1.2 billion kroner.
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