Disagreement over shape of proposed new trade union confederation

The joint steering committee deliberating the basis for a new trade union confederation in Norway, merging the existing AF and LO confederations, delivered its report in February 2000, but there is already internal discontent with its main recommendations. If established, the new confederation would pose a significant challenge to LO in the public sector.

Plans for a possible merger of the Confederation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikernes Fellesorganisasjon, AF) and the Norwegian Confederation of Vocational Unions (Yrkesorganisasjonenes Sentralforbund, YS) were made public in May 1999 (NO9905132N). The Norwegian Police Federation (Politiets Fellesforbund, PF) later joined the process. A new trade union confederation will possibly be established on 1 January 2001, comprising 38 member unions representing approximately 360,000 employees in the state, municipal, and private sectors, if all relevant unions decide to join. The joint steering committee deliberating the basis for the new confederation delivered its report on 7 February 2000, and the proposal is now to be considered by the relevant member unions

Organisational structure

The report outlines a new political platform as well as proposals for an organisational model. The members of the steering committee, which had representation from all the unions concerned, managed to agree on a general political platform for the new confederation, but were divided on the issue of organisational structure. The financial aspects of the new confederation, and aspects relating to incomes and bargaining policy, will not be considered until the problem of organisational structure has been settled.

The new confederation is to be divided into three sections (state, municipal and private sector), but two alternative models were presented with regard to the relationship between these sections and the central organisation. Option one, favoured by the majority of committee members, envisions these sections integrated into the central organisation, and the establishment of a joint secretariat or administrative body for the whole confederation. Option two, favoured by the minority, wants to see the three sections established as legally independent units, with their own secretariats or administrative bodies independent of the central organisation. In this second model, the sections would be granted a more independent status with regard to how they choose to organise and with regard to financial matters (member unions would pay a separate fee directly to the section).

There were further divisions concerning the role of the leaders of the various sections vis-à-vis the "executive committee" (EIRO translation), which is to be the leading governing body of the main organisation. Option one would only allow the section leaders the right to propose and speak in committee meetings, while option two would extend their rights to include the right to vote. However, both options stipulate that the national congress, to be held every four years, will be the highest decision-making body of the organisation, which all member unions have the right to attend. Furthermore, all member unions have the right to be represented on the executive committee.

The unions concerned have until 10 April 2000 to consider the report, and are asked to report back then on the main principles of the new organisation. The unions are also asked to comment on other relevant factors not mentioned in the report. On the basis of these comments, the committee will decide whether to continue the process of establishing a new confederation, and if so produce a final report on the new confederation's political platform, organisational rules and financial foundation. The issue will be considered and a final decision made in extraordinary representative committee meetings in YS and AF at end of October 2000 and at the national congress of the Norwegian Police Federation from 25 to 28 September 2000. The intention is to have the new confederation established on 1 January 2001.

Internal opposition

The establishment of a new confederation will not be an easy undertaking, and already there is significant internal discontent with the proposal within YS. The YS bargaining cartel in the state sector, YS Stat, called the report "an insult to democratic processes", because of the large degree of centralisation envisaged in the option favoured by the majority of committee members. Such a concentration of powers, according to YS Stat, will make it difficult for member unions to pursue normal trade union activities, and will deprive individual unions of their basic collective rights, such as authority over their own collective agreements. The proposal was also rejected on the same grounds by the largest YS union in the municipal sector, the Norwegian Association of Health and Social Care Personnel (Norsk Helse- og Sosialforbund, NHS).

YS Stat warned in its response to the report that it intends to consider establishing an alternative organisation for employees in the state sector and semi-state enterprises. Furthermore, other groups have already indicated that they may opt for alternative solutions other than the new confederation. Teachers' Union Norway (Lærerforbundet), which is affiliated to AF, is deliberating a possible merger with the independent Norwegian Union of Teachers (Norsk Lærerlag, NL) (NO9904127N). NHS, with approximately 50,000 members, has a close cooperative venture with the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees (Norsk Kommuneforbund, NKF), which may in the future develop into a more formal arrangement (NO9809185F), which may mean further membership losses for YS or the new confederation.

Commentary

There are several factors contributing to the creation of a new union confederation in Norway. AF has in recent years witnessed a wide-scale process of disintegration, with several member unions splitting in 1997-8 to form a new organisation for academically qualified staff, Akademikerne (NO9711133F), and its membership base has steadily declined since then (NO9901111N). As such it is interested in creating new alliances in order to regain some of its lost strength. The Norwegian Police Federation, since its creation in November 1997 (NO9711136N), has been looking to join a confederation, and is open to various alternative affiliations - indeed it is considering possible membership of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO), as well as AF/YS.

The most important reason, however, for the creation of a new confederation must be as a reaction to the apparent dominant role of the LO. AF's leader, Aud Blankholm, has argued in the media that a strong and centralised organisation is the only viable alternative, because only in this way will it be able to compete with LO, referring particularly to wage negotiations in the public sector. The new confederation would be almost as large as LO in the municipal sector with 130,000 members (LO has approximately 160,000), and as such would pose a significant challenge to NKF, which is the most important LO-affiliated union in the municipal sector. It might also pose a challenge to LO's dominance in the state sector, even if this is less obvious in a short-term perspective. However, it would remain a less influential actor in the private sector, which is significant, because it is in the private sector negotiations between LO and the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon, NHO) that the trends are set for collective bargaining in Norway.

The minority on the AF/YS committee opposing the report's main principles seems determined to stand its ground, and future progress towards a strong centralised confederation will thus not be without its obstacles. However, it is important to bear in mind that the report is only preliminary. The shape of the new confederation is to be determined by the views and wishes of the unions concerned, and the final outcome of this process remains to be settled. (Haavard Lismoen, FAFO Institute for Applied Social Science)