Higher pay and more vacation days – being unionized is more important than many people think

Half of Norwegian workers are not unionized and miss out on many benefits – are you one of them?

" Our generation has grown up with the fact that most people have the day off on Christmas Eve, the 1st of May off, and we have the opportunity to go on long and nice holidays. We take this as a matter of course and forget that it is unique to Norway in comparison with other countries.  

So says IT engineer and member of NITO, Cathy Patanakarun (pictured above). She has a bachelor's degree in computer science and works as a project manager in IT and digitalization in Nord-Trøndelag electricity plant (NTE). She is passionate about people of all ages and industries understanding the importance of unionisation.  

More than just cheap insurance  

Patanakarun became a NITO member as a student, initially on the basis of cheap home contents insurance. In working life, support in salary negotiations, legal assistance and access to medical care every day of the year are key elements of her commitment. In 2016, she became a union representative at the workplace.

Over the past seven years, Patanakarun has recruited even more members from NTE, knowing that the more organized you are, the greater your impact.

" Access to salary statistics and legal assistance are just a couple of the benefits I find that many people are not aware of. Many people also believe that the fifth week of holiday we have in the year is required by law, but it is actually only trade unions who are entitled to it," says Paranakarun.

These are your benefits

Many people associate trade unions with good banking, pension and insurance agreements, such as first-home loans, their own pension account, and favourable insurance at good prices. There are good benefits, but many forget about the support they receive legally, salary negotiations, medical care, and CV and application writing.

In addition, many people get five full weeks of holiday instead of four weeks and one day. In the 25 statutory working days, Saturday is included as a working day, and the law therefore indicates that you are entitled to four weeks and one day, not five full weeks.  

Member was dismissed during the probationary period – received over NOK 200,000 in compensation 

NITO lawyer Fredrik Lund Skyberg has assisted a member who experienced unfair dismissal during the probationary period. The employer was not willing to extend the probationary period, give other work tasks or give the employee a second chance in another position.  

The member had a strong case, and NITO took out a lawsuit claiming compensation for unfair dismissal. 

The district court ruled that the dismissal was unjustified, and decided that the member should receive compensation for financial loss of NOK 180,000 and compensation for damages of NOK 25,000, in addition to coverage of legal costs. 

"The case was too complicated for the member to have done this on his own. If you were to pay for the legal expenses from your own pocket, the winnings would quickly go up in the spinning. It pays to be a member of a union that is willing to take the case to court," Skyberg concludes.