- Up in salary and more self-confidence!
"We will be wage leaders," says NITO union representative Kathrine Kværne. When she led salary negotiations for the first time, she was nervous. After the NITO Intro 2 course, things changed.
As the main union representative in Porsgrunn municipality with around 60 NITO members, Kværne is in the middle of demanding cases regarding wages, working conditions and recruitment. She believes NITO Intro 2 is one of the most important tools a union representative can have.
- The course was intense, but very useful," says Kværne.
This is what she thinks is gold with NITO Intro 2:
- Realistic training in salary negotiations: "Almost like being there for real"
- Specific introduction to the role of union representatives, rights and obligations
- It provides a common reference for the entire board of the company group, if everyone goes to a course
On the course, participants were thrown straight into simulated salary negotiations. There was role-playing, argumentation, strategies. For Kværne, it was both scary and incredibly educational.
- When we were through it, I had learned a lot. I was much better prepared when I had to lead real negotiations. You get trained! You get a sense of security you don't get by just reading up," she says.
From uncertain to negotiator with a punch
Kværne has participated in salary negotiations for several years, but then always as part of a team, with someone else as the negotiation leader. Now she is in charge.
With NITO Intro 2 behind her, she enters the wage settlement with clear goals: NITO members must have real wage growth – and then some.
She knows both the salary policy plan in the municipality, what criteria can be used, and how she can argue that engineers and technologists must be prioritized.
She strongly recommends that several people from the same company group go together on a union representative course.
- Then you get common concepts, the same understanding of strategy and can support each other afterwards. She will send those who have not been on a union representative course from her own board away, Kværne points out.
Safer union representatives – stronger members
For Kværne, NITO Intro 2 is also about something bigger: Building strong NITO groups that both dare to make demands and know how to do it.
Grinders work in the field of environmental health protection. She ensures that both public and private enterprises comply with the requirements in this area. Key words are hygiene, safety and indoor climate. This applies to everything from kindergartens and schools to the tattoo shop and solarium salon. Routines that prevent transmission of infection.
In her job, she has come across sunbeds that have had too much radiation and pools without adequate safety routines. Then these were closed. - It is rare that we go on an unannounced inspection, we usually give notice in advance, she says.
The members of her group work in municipal engineering, IT, planning and building applications, geodata (surveyor), real estate and environmental health protection, HR and in e-health.
Porsgrunn municipality, like many others, is struggling to compete for engineers against the private sector. The salary level is lower, but the municipality offers other benefits: Good pension, early retirement pension, security and flexible arrangements around working hours. - It is extra important that union representatives can use the entire toolbox in negotiations, she says.
- We want to be the ones who have the most and get the most. The goal is for us to be a wage leader in the public sector. Then we as union representatives must be really well prepared," she emphasizes.
NITO's Intro 1, 2 and 3
NITO's Intro 1, 2 and 3 are courses that are specially designed for union representatives. Here they get to know their role, become confident, and can assist the members even better.
Kværne is now considering taking NITO Intro 3 himself to learn more about rights, about laws and regulations. She is also no stranger to retaking NITO Intro 2 to refresh her knowledge. Intro 1 offers the very basics.
| Find your Intro 1 | Find your Intro 2 | Find your Intro 3 |
Her message to other union representatives is crystal clear: - Sign up for a course. Don't wait until you're in tough negotiations and feel insecure. NITO Intro 2 gives you both the knowledge and the courage to speak up – and stand by it.
See information about union representative courses
The role of union representatives
