"The Basic Collective Agreement must become a better tool for wage development"

The 2026 wage settlement is a main settlement, and there will be central negotiations on both finances and the textual content of the main collective agreements in the central government. NITO Stat started work on requirements and priorities as early as the autumn of 2025, together with union representatives in the agency groups across the country.

"After many good rounds with our union representatives, a clear picture is emerging of what is important in this year's settlement. The Basic Collective Agreement is one of our most important tools for ensuring good pay and working conditions for our members, and it must also be as relevant and good as possible," says the head of NITO Stat.

Wants more flexible opportunities for salary adjustment

In the central government, wage development ideally takes place throughout the year: when determining salary at the time of employment, when assessing salary during the first year, through the annual local negotiations – and through special negotiations.

Botnen believes that the current text of the agreement and practice mean that special negotiations in many places do not work as intended.

"When both employer and employee agree that there is a basis for adjusting wages, it cannot be the case that the Basic Collective Agreement stands in the way. Then the agreement does not function as a tool, but as a brake," says the head of NITO Stat.

He points to the need for a more transparent provision in section 2.5.3.

"An open 2.5.3 legal basis will make the Basic Collective Agreement more flexible for both parties. This will provide the opportunity to adjust salaries in the event of real needs, regardless of the reason. In this way, we can better use salaries as a tool to retain and recruit the necessary expertise," says Botnen.

Read more about the opportunities the agreement system gives you to increase your salary

Clear expectations of real wage growth

In the financial area, NITO Stat has clear expectations for this year's settlement.

"We expect real wage growth for our members. The state struggles more than the private sector to compete on wages when it comes to recruiting qualified labour, and then it is all the more important to retain the competent employees they have," says the head of NITO Stat.

NITO's needs survey shows that the state is more often than private enterprises unable to compete on wages. At the same time, preliminary figures from the TBU show that wage growth in the frontline sector was 5.1 per cent, while wage growth in the central government sector ended at 4.8 per cent.

"There are still large wage differences between the private and public sectors, and highly educated people in the public sector in particular are lagging behind compared to the private sector. This is not sustainable in the long run," says Botnen.

He believes that the state must deal with the actual challenges in the labour market.

"The state must take into account the real needs in order to attract the right and competent labour. It is not enough to blindly follow a frontline trade projection year after year. A norm over time cannot be used as a solution every day, emphasizes the head of NITO Stat.

Travel time must be counted as working time

Another important topic for NITO Stat in the main settlement is travel time.

In several central government agencies, extensive travel is part of everyday work, including in supervisory and control authorities, the police and defence, as well as the higher education sector. This creates challenges for many employees.

"We believe that travel time must be included in the total working hours, and thus stay within the framework for working hours regulated in the Working Environment Act and the Basic Collective Agreement. When you travel for an employer, this must be counted as working time according to the Working Environment Act," says Botnen.

All salaries must be distributed locally

Botnen is clear that NITO Stat wants a strong local wage formation system.

"We expect all wages to be distributed in local, collective bargaining, and that the employer locally is aware of its responsibility. The salary funds must be distributed based on agreed, objective criteria that the local parties have agreed on," says the head of NITO Stat.

He believes this is crucial to meet the companies' specific needs for expertise and to ensure fair and predictable salary development for members.