SUN statement of solidarity and support

Following failed mediation with the employers’ association NHO Service og Handel, Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund has called strike action in the cleaning sector. The dispute centres on fair pay and economic security during illness.

Cleaners in Norway are demanding a real wage increase that protects purchasing power.
Most importantly this time: They are also demanding fairer sick pay arrangements. Currently, after the first 16 days of illness, many workers must wait for payments from the public welfare administration (NAV), which can leave low-paid cleaners without income for weeks og even months. The union argues that workers in low-paid essential jobs deserve the same financial security during illness that 80% of Norwegian workers already enjoy. The bosses of the major cleaning companies are all enjoying the benefits they are now denying their essential workers.
This is unacceptable!

At the time of writing 800 workers across dozens of companies are now involved in the action, with further escalations planned.

As Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund President Brede Edvardsen has made clear, this is a struggle against inequality and the treatment of cleaners as second-class workers. In his words, these are workers “society depends on, but who are only noticed when they stop working.”

Cleaners carry out essential work every day, yet too often they

continue to face low wages, insecurity, and a lack of proper recognition.

Your struggle is an important one for cleaners in Norway and for all workers across the Nordic countries who are fighting for dignity, equality, and respect at work. The right to fair treatment, adequate income, and protection during illness must be guaranteed to every worker.

The unions of SUN stand by you in solidarity and support!