Finn Bergesen jr has been appointed the new director general of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, NHO). He will start his new job on 1 January 1999, but his administrative responsibilities do not take effect until after the 1999 intermediate wage settlements, when he will formally succeed the present director general, Karl Glad. Messrs Bergesen and Glad will work together during the 1999 wage settlement negotiations. The fact that NHO has made public all the details of the appointment, including those concerning pay and bonus arrangements, indicates that the organisation is seeking more transparency in relation to the new appointment.
Finn Bergesen jr has been appointed the new director general of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO). He will start in his new job on 1 January 1999, but his administrative responsibilities do not take effect until after the 1999 intermediate wage settlements. The new appointee has broad experience in the public and private sectors.
Finn Bergesen jr has been appointed the new director general of the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, NHO). He will start his new job on 1 January 1999, but his administrative responsibilities do not take effect until after the 1999 intermediate wage settlements, when he will formally succeed the present director general, Karl Glad. Messrs Bergesen and Glad will work together during the 1999 wage settlement negotiations. The fact that NHO has made public all the details of the appointment, including those concerning pay and bonus arrangements, indicates that the organisation is seeking more transparency in relation to the new appointment.
The new director general has broad experience from the public and private sectors and various interest organisations, and was chosen especially for his renowned negotiation skills and experience. He has spent most of his career in the fisheries sector, having spent 10 years in the Ministry of Fisheries, and six years as general secretary of the Norwegian Fishermen's Association (Norges Fiskarlag). For the last three years, Mr Bergesen has been the director general of Kavli Holding AS, a dairy products manufacturer, from which he will resign on 1 November 1999, along with several other positions that he currently holds. His experience as a negotiator stems from his years in the Norwegian Fishermen's Association and as head of the Norwegian delegation during the fisheries negotiations with the EEC in 1982-3.
NHO's membership base consists of more than 15,000 enterprises, with approximately 400,000 employees. NHO plays a significant role in private sector pay settlements, and is an important force in influencing the creation of national labour market and industrial policies. Thus, the post as director general of NHO brings with it influential and important responsibilities, one of which is to be in charge of the organisation's delegation in pay negotiations. The new director general has stated in the media that one of his more important and immediate tasks is to build on the already good relations with NHO's most important interlocutor, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO), and with the political authorities.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1998), New NHO director general appointed, article.
