On 4 September 2006, the new union Industry–Energy (Industri og Energi, IE [1]) was created, following a merger between two unions – the Norwegian Chemical Industry Workers’ Union (Norsk Kjemisk Industriarbeiderforbund, NKIF [2]) and the Norwegian Oil and Petrochemical Workers’ Union (Norsk Olje- og Petrokjemisk Fagforbund, NOPEF [3]). The two unions were members of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO [4]).[1] http://www.industrienergi.no/[2] http://www.nkif.no/[3] http://www.nopef.no/[4] http://www.lo.no/portal/page?_pageid=56,1301665&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
In September 2006, the union for chemical industry workers and the union for oil and petrochemical industry workers merged to form a new union, Industry–Energy. The latter is now the fifth largest member union of the Norwegian confederation LO and has around 46,000 members.
On 4 September 2006, the new union Industry–Energy (Industri og Energi, IE) was created, following a merger between two unions – the Norwegian Chemical Industry Workers’ Union (Norsk Kjemisk Industriarbeiderforbund, NKIF) and the Norwegian Oil and Petrochemical Workers’ Union (Norsk Olje- og Petrokjemisk Fagforbund, NOPEF). The two unions were members of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO).
The new union has approximately 46,000 members, which makes it the fifth largest member union of LO. Former leader of NOPEF, Leif Sande, has been elected as the new leader of IE, while the former deputy leader of NKIF, Liv Undheim, has been elected as IE’s new deputy leader. Although the headquarters of the new union will be located in Oslo, it will also have a large office in the southwest city of Stavanger, the original location of NOPEF.
The merger was discussed during the summer of 2006, when extraordinary national conferences were held by the two unions, both of which endorsed the merger. On a previous occasion, the idea of a merger had been considered, but was abandoned due to lack of support within NOPEF.
Union profiles
NKIF is the more traditional industry worker union of the two organisations, representing machine operators in areas such as aluminium and chemical production. NOPEF, on the other hand, represents all occupations within its organisational areas, including – among others – oil and gas offshore production, onshore based refineries and governmental bodies such as the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (Oljedirektoratet).
NOPEF is in direct competition for members with the Norwegian Union of Energy Workers (Sammenslutningen av Fagorganiserte i Energisektoren, SAFE), which was previously an independent union but which is now affiliated to the Confederation of Vocational Unions (Yrkesorganisasjonenes Sentralforbund, YS). NKIF, on the other hand, faces little competition within its domain. Nevertheless, while NKIF has lost a substantial number of its members in recent years, mainly as a result of declining employment rates within the sectors it represents, NOPEF’s membership base has increased due to the rising employment rates in Norway’s oil and gas sector.
Reasons for merger
A central reason for the merger is to strengthen the unions’ political influence in relation to industry policy development, and also to increase the two unions’ powers within LO. Both unions represent employees in industries that are export-oriented and natural resource based; therefore, it is imperative for them to be able to exert influence over Norwegian energy policy.
Important issues on the agenda of the new union, IE, will be the increased utilisation of gas in Norway, and ensuring that industry – including energy intensive sectors such as aluminium production and other parts of the process industry – is subject to sustainable energy prices. Moreover, IE will be working to promote the continued development of oil extraction in northern parts of Norway. All of these issues represent controversial themes in Norwegian politics at present, and are central to the conflict between industrial development and environmental preservation.
A potential point of tension between the two unions has been the longstanding and close relationship between LO and the Norwegian Labour Party (Det norske Arbeiderpartiet, DnA). While NKIF has been one of the strongest proponents of this cooperative venture, for example contributing substantial funds to DnA’s election campaigns, NOPEF has strongly argued against providing financial support to political parties. The newly formed union seems to be following NOPEF’s approach in relation to this issue.
Commentary
The most recent merger between the two unions is the last in a series of mergers among LO-affiliated unions in manufacturing and in the building and construction sector. In a sense, such mergers are a reflection of developments in the Norwegian labour market. As the traditional manufacturing industry constitutes a declining proportion of the labour market, the number of white-collar workers is increasing at the expense of blue-collar workers. In the near future, IE may acquire more members if the small union, the Norwegian Union of Wood Workers (Norsk Treindustriarbeiderforbund, NTAF), chooses to join.
Among the other mergers in 2006, the Norwegian Graphical Union (Norsk Grafisk Forbund, NGF) joined the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet) – the largest union in the private sector. Currently, the Union of Hotel and Restaurant Workers (Hotell- og Restaurantarbeiderforbundet, HRAF) is also deliberating whether to join Fellesforbundet.
Kristine Nergaard, Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2006), New industry and energy union formed within LO, article.
