Are you unsure about what happens in the wage settlements? Here you can find out more about what happens in a wage settlement in the public sector (state and municipal sectors).
In a main settlement, both wage increases and changes to the other provisions of the collective agreements are negotiated. It is common for collective agreements to last for two years, and normally only wage increases are negotiated in the second year of the agreement (interim settlement). The main settlements take place in even years (2024, 2026, etc.).
In the years between the main settlements there are interim settlements. In an interim settlement, only negotiations about pay are the subject of the parties.
The Executive Board adopts Forskerforbundet's demands for the upcoming wage settlements. Forskerforbundet is a member of the confederation Unio, and Unio has set up negotiating committees for each tariff area / sector (Unio Stat, Unio KS, Unio Spekter, etc.), six in all.
The negotiating committees are put together based on the various unions' number of members in the respective sectors. Forskerforbundet, which has many members in the state negotiation area, thus has four representatives in Unio Stat. In the other negotiating committees, Forskerforbundet has one representative.
The negotiation committees process the demands from the various member unions and formulate Unio's common demands in each bargaining area. It is Unio's negotiation committee that represents Forskerforbundet in the negotiations.
In Norway, it is common for industries exposed to competition to negotiate first. Industry exposed to competition is defined as the front-line sector, and the economic framework from the front-line sector forms a starting point for wage growth in the other bargaining areas. This is called the Front Runner Model.
The main settlement in the public sector usually starts with the handover of the first requirements between the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (state sector) / KS (municipal sector) and the confederations (LO, YS, Unio, Akademikerne) sometime during the first half of April.
The deadline for reaching an agreement in the negotiations is usually April 30 at midnight. The parties can agree on other deadlines.
During the negotiation period, the parties hold negotiation meetings and management meetings where demands and offers are exchanged.
If the parties have not reached an agreement within the deadline, or if one of the parties breaks the negotiations, the settlement goes to mediation and the National Mediator becomes involved in the process. When the mediation deadline expires – or possibly in overtime – it will be clarified whether the mediation ends in an agreement between the parties, or in a strike.
Mediation is a closed process, and only the National Mediator can provide information during the mediation. During the mediation period, no new information will therefore be presented on Forskerforbundet's or Unio's websites.
If no agreement is reached in the mediation, there may be a strike. Unio has conflict preparedness committees for each sector, which prepare for a possible strike.
The conflict preparedness committees select which enterprises (workplaces) / geographical areas will go out in a possible strike. Local strike committees are established at the selected enterprises / areas, and it is they who, in collaboration with the conflict preparedness committees, decide who will be called out on strike at the individual enterprise / area.
All conflict preparedness work is confidential, and the members will not receive any information until a mediation period starts. Approx. fourteen days before a possible strike, Unio will send a notice of collective work stoppage to the state, KS, Oslo municipality and Spekter. This is done in accordance with legislation and agreements. The notice of collective work stoppage indicates in rough terms where a possible strike will occur, and where employees will be called out on strike. At this point, Forskerforbundet will send out information by e-mail to all local union representatives.
Those of our members who are called out in a possible strike will receive information about this well in advance of the strike becoming a fact. The information is sent out by Unio to the individual member who is called out on strike. If at the start of the strike you have not received any notification that you have been called out on strike, you must go to work as usual.
We encourage all members to keep informed about the proceedings of the wage settlements process by checking Forskerforbundet’s website and Unio's website regularly.
If you want to refresh your knowledge of common words and terms in collective wage agreement negotiations and mediations, take a look at this glossary (source: the National Mediator's Office).
