Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions holds annual congress

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions held its national congress in May 2009. The current leader will continue to head the organisation. The congress made a resolution to give continued support to the present red-green coalition government in the autumn general election. It also called on the government to postpone the implementation of the European Union postal directive and to carry out a re-evaluation of the European Economic Area Agreement.

The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) held its 32nd annual congress in May 2009. The congress gathered 315 delegates from 21 member unions. Some 46% of the delegates were women, which is a record high attendance rate, despite the fact that half of the members of LO trade unions are women. The congress is LO’s main decision-making body and it meets every four years. LO is Norway’s largest trade union confederation and represents about half of all organised workers in the country. As such, LO enjoys significant influence in Norway and there is considerable interest in the congress.

LO leadership and membership

Roar Flåthen was elected President of LO for the next four years. Mr Flåthen has served as leader since 2007, when LO’s previous president – Gerd-Liv Valla – was forced to resign following a damaging conflict with one of her employees (NO0702049I). Gerd Kristiansen and Tor Arne Solbakken were both elected as deputy presidents. Ms Kristiansen had been serving as deputy leader of the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet), LO’s largest trade union, while Mr Solbakken had already served as part of LO’s leadership in the previous period. LO’s elected leadership now consists of four women and three men.

Regarding LO’s internal organisation, the congress underlined the importance of strengthening its recruitment activities, especially the recruitment of young people and workers with higher education.

Support in general election

The upcoming parliamentary election in the autumn of 2009 was a central issue on the agenda. Both Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and the Minister of Finance, Kristin Halvorsen, were invited to speak at the congress. The prime minister reflected on the political cooperation between LO and the government, and LO adopted a resolution to try to keep the existing government in office after the election. To this end, the congress voted in favour of providing financial support for the election to the three parties comprising the so-called red-green coalition government: the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet, AP), the Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti, SV) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet, SP).

Review of EEA agreement and EU directives

Perhaps the most surprising decision at the congress was LO’s call for a public review of the consequences of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). Norway is connected to the European Union’s internal market through this agreement, which has broad political support in Norway and which also has strong backing from important LO unions, particularly in the private sector.

It is clear, however, that issues such as the controversy surrounding Directive 2006/123/EC on services in the internal market (NO0901029I) have led to increased scepticism within the trade union movement about Norway’s commitments through the EEA Agreement. The uncertainty surrounding national regulatory arrangements in the wake of recent developments in EU law following the Laval case, for example, has fuelled this scepticism.

The congress also raised critical remarks about the government’s handling of the EU services directive. Furthermore, LO made a resolution to call on the government to postpone the implementation of Directive 2008/6/EC amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the full accomplishment of the internal market of Community postal services.

Environmental issues

One issue expected to cause controversy at the congress was that of opening up oil production in the northern part of the Norwegian continental shelf, areas that are currently closed to oil exploration. There was noticeable disagreement between the industry unions, which want these areas developed, and other unions and delegates that want to see these areas being conserved as oil-free zones. However, the congress reached a compromise, in which LO calls for an impact study on opening these areas for oil exploration, and where the precautionary principle will apply.

LO also adopted a policy on climate change, and Mr Flåthen emphasised that environmental issues will be high on the agenda in the period to come.

Global economic crisis

The present economic crisis was also high on the agenda at the congress. Delegates made a resolution calling for improvements to the unemployment benefit scheme as well as increased efforts directed at further and continuing education. Questions relating to ‘social dumping’ were a predominant feature at the congress. LO’s largest trade union in the private sector wanted the confederation to consider introducing a statutory right of social partners to make sector or industry-based minimum provisions applicable to the entire industry or sector. This would complement the present arrangement for making collective agreements generally applicable (NO0612029I, NO0808019I).

Kristine Nergaard, Fafo