Organisational changes among higher education unions continues

In July 2005, a formal decision was made to reorganise Norway's UHO higher education trade union confederation under a new name, UNIO. The purpose of this restructuring is to accommodate two union organisations that left Akademikerne in March 2005.

In July 2005 a formal decision was made to reorganise the Confederation of Higher Education Unions (Utdanningsgruppenes Hovedorganisasjon, UHO). To this end the confederation has among other things changed its name to the Confederation of university and advanced college graduates (Hovedorganisasjonen for universitets- og høyskoleutdannede, UNIO). The purpose of this restructuring is to accommodate the entry of two new union organisations; the Norwegian Association of Research Workers (Forskerforbundet) and the Norwegian Association of Clergy (Den norske kirkes presteforening). The two unions decided to leave the Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikerne) in March 2005, but will not become formal members of UNIO until 1 January 2006.

UNIO will consist of approximately 250,000 members, and be the second largest employee confederation in Norway. The entry of the two unions for researchers and clergy will provide UNIO with a broader organisational base within the state sector agreement area, and has necessitated significant changes to organisational rules, political platform, as well as to internal decision-making bodies. In addition to clergy and researchers, all the organisations from the old UHO remain, including groups such as teachers, nurses, police officials and several other health professions. UHO was established in 2002 (NO0201184F). Mr. Anders Folkestad, the old leader of UHO, will remain leader of UNIO until 2007.

The research and clergy unions made their decisions to leave Akademikerne in March 2005. The present case resembles the situation when several organisations left the Confederation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikernes Fellesorganisasjon, AF) to form Akademikerne in 1997 (NO9711133F, NO9807174F). AF was later dissolved in 2001 (NO0007199F). The two unions states in their press release that Akademikernes is longer able to cater for the collective interest of the two organisations, and that there are increasing divisions within the confederation on issues such as public sector reform, wage policy and bargaining strategy. Disagreement over wage policy in the state sector is probably the single most important factor. Whereas the unions of researchers and clergy wants to central bargaining with central increases, although with some degree of local wage formation, a majority of the other member organisations want to a see greater decentralisation and individualisation. In short the two unions argue that Akademikerne is moving in the direction of a weakening of collective bargaining structures and social rights among public sector employees, and greater degree of liberalisation in relation to public sector reform. The two organisations now seem to have more in common with the other unions of UNIO than with the organisations of Akademikerne.

The membership of the two organisations in Akademikerne will not be formally terminated until 1 January 2006, and they will have to wait until the next collective bargaining round in spring 2006 before a new collective agreement is in place. The two organisations have however already resigned their positions in boards and decision-making bodies within Akademikerne.

This information is made available through the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO), as a service to users of the EIROnline database. EIRO is a project of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. However, this information has been neither edited nor approved by the Foundation, which means that it is not responsible for its content and accuracy. This is the responsibility of the EIRO national centre that originated/provided the information. For details see the "About this record" information in this record.