Unfortunately, she has to switch to the private sector to get a more acceptable salary

She talks about several challenges at the hospital, especially for the biomedical laboratory scientists:

• Brain drain to other sectors due to low wage levels
• Failure to conduct salary interviews and annual individual salary reviews
• Thin cooperation between management and employees
• Change processes where employees have far too little participation in the early phases

-  I like my work tasks and the good working environment, but people apply for other positions in the private sector because they get higher salaries there. This means that there will be a number of staff changes," says Frøyen. - This is my biggest frustration.

She finds that the hospital loses experienced employees who have worked there for a long time, instead of accommodating them with a pay rise.

- Employers must be aware that there is no abundance of biomedical laboratory technicians at the moment. We are in short supply," she says. - We must ensure that we have enough staff with a high level of expertise. Norway will lack several thousand bioengineers in the years to come.

It follows from the collective agreement between Spektrum and SAN that the employer must make individual salary assessments annually on the basis of salary discussions with the individual. Frøyen has never received salary reviews that the hospital is required to give everyone according to the collective agreement. In her own department, she also knows no one else who is employed in a basic position, who has had the opportunity to talk to management about what they are paid for their work. 

- It is difficult to negotiate with them, and it has been difficult to address this with pay. The threshold for a salary review becomes high when we ourselves have to nag our managers to get an interview. For those of us who are employed in a basic position, the employer believes that we cannot complain about the salary, because the salaries are the same for everyone.

-  We have had problems with people not wanting to leave their rotation in basic positions because they will then lose their shift supplement. That is not lucky.

Frøyen is not afraid to speak her mind. This is one of several reasons why she chose to take on the role of union representative.

- I am committed, care and want to make changes. I'm a fighter for the underdog, and the employees have a lower threshold for talking to me than sitting in the manager's office. Union representatives are not formal and authoritarian, we are in line with those who are in the group. But the management does not take full advantage of us, even though they could have gained a lot from it. I think that's stupid.

She often feels that it is not okay to give her views to management.

"They could have benefited a lot from involving the union representatives in their processes, and a close collaboration with the employees would have been beneficial for the employer as well. If we had been involved from the start in the processes, they would have understood what the group thinks and what is difficult, before it becomes a problem. Instead, we experience resistance when we make comments.

In March, Thea Frøyen will move to the private sector and start at Betanien Hospital. For her, the choice to change jobs was easy. First and foremost, she is increasing her salary.

- It's a bit about the fact that we are often too few people at work as well, even if it goes around. It is possible, even if it does not go well. I think the employer sets the bar a little low, they don't agree with me in this area.

In her new job, she has also been told if she wants to be a union representative, which she is positive about and hopes will work out. 

- I think it's nice to have new issues in the job. I feel that I make a difference, when people come to me with big and small things for advice. It's nice.

Frøyen has a clear recommendation for the person who takes over for her at Haukeland when she changes jobs herself.

- Take the NITO courses. They have given me much more control over which way to go to get help. It has given me security in working life. Being a union representative is a big area, with a lot to get to grips with.  

Frøyen also highlights the legal assistance that NITO offers.

- It is worth its weight in gold and certainly a plus with NITO.