Disappointed by unwillingness to renegotiate
The state and the main confederations have agreed to extend the main agreement in the state until 31 December 2026.
This is how the main agreement works in the state
The main agreement in the state includes how union representatives and employers cooperate, and what rights and obligations union representatives have. The agreement is a consensus agreement. This means that all parties must agree for there to be changes. When only one party wants changes, there are no changes.
NITO: Need for changes to the agreement
The current agreement was actually valid until 2025, but only Akademikerne wanted to terminate the agreement and renegotiate now.
"It is disappointing that this year the parties have not entered into real negotiations and discussions about changes to the main agreement," says Kristian Botnen (pictured), head of NITO stat.
"At NITO, we have discussed the need for changes to the agreement with our union representatives. Although the main agreement works well in many areas, we believe there is a need for changes – especially when it comes to who is considered a party to the agreement," Botnen continues.
Democratic challenge for smaller associations
The difference from the main collective agreement in the state is that there all associations are parties locally, while in the main agreement only the largest associations are parties. This weakens co-determination in central government agencies and is a democratic challenge.
NITO has clear expectations for the survey
It is positive that the parties have agreed to gather knowledge about how the main agreement is practiced before next year's negotiations, Botnen believes.
"NITO expects that who can be a party to the agreement will be part of this mapping," he concludes.