Ten hours after the deadline for reaching an agreement during mediation expired at midnight, Handel og Kontor (HK) and the employers’ organization Virke have agreed on this year’s wage settlement for shop, office and warehouse employees.
As a result, nothing will come of the announced strike. 4,256 members in HK can pack away their strike vests.
This is what HK and Virke agree on:
• A general supplement of NOK 4 per hour for everyone.
• The minimum wage rates in the collective agreements are increased as follows:
Salary steps 1-4 are increased by NOK 6 per hour (including the general supplement).
Wage step 5 increases by NOK 9 per hour (including the general supplement).
Wage step 6 is increased by NOK 12.45 per hour (including the general supplement).
The supplements that were given from 1 February as a result of the guaranteed wage rates in the collective agreement are included in these step increases.
– With this, we have managed to ensure members increased purchasing power, says HK leader Christopher Beckham to HK-Nytt.
He believes the economic framework is in line with the front line, 5.2 per cent, i.e. what the Confederation of Norwegian Industry and Industry negotiated for the workers in the industry earlier this year.
• The allowance for work on Sundays is increased by NOK 5 per hour, to NOK 115.
• Seniority bonus
A seniority supplement will be introduced for employees who have worked for 10 and 15 years in the same company. It must be in place by the end of 2025 and the size of the supplements must be agreed locally.
• A competence reform for the trade and service industry
Work on the reform must start in October at the latest and must be integrated into the collective agreement in 2026.
Among other things, a committee will assess actual needs and challenges in the industries, assess the establishment and administration of a skills fund and adapt the government’s skills reform to the needs of the industries.
The parties also agree that they shall jointly initiate and apply for a publicly funded tripartite industry program for the agreement area.
– This agreement represents a decisive step towards ensuring that every single employee in the trade and service industries has access to relevant and up-to-date expertise, which is particularly important in the industries affected here, says HK leader Christopher Beckham.
HK: A good result
Overall, the result of the wage settlement is good, HK believes.
– HK Norway got through the demand for increased purchasing power. HK Norway also stepped in with important demands to frame Sunday as the different day. We have now received approval for this with an addition for Sunday work. Together with plans for an ambitious skills reform for the trade and service industry, this settlement is a good result, the union writes in a press release.
Stretch the team
The employers are happy to have avoided a strike.
– This is a good result. I am very happy that we have reached our goal with an agreement which I believe both makes workplaces safe and ensures that we gain attractiveness in the service and trade industries through our shared ambitions, says managing director Bernt G. Apeland in Virke to HK-New.
– Why did the mediation take so long?
– There have been demanding negotiations. There was a strong desire for increased purchasing power on the part of the employees. At the same time, it has been important for us on the employer side to ensure a settlement that is responsible and that our member companies can bear, says Apeland.
The members decide
Now the members who are covered by this salary settlement will have their say on the outcome of the mediation in a preliminary vote.
Nine collective agreements
The outcome of the mediation applies to these collective agreements between HK and Virke:
• The national agreement – Applies to shop, office and warehouse clerks and drivers, also employees in cooperatives (Coop). Applies to employees in kiosks, bingos and photo laboratories.
• Publishing agreement – Applies to employees in publishing houses.
• Travel life agreement – Applies to employees of travel agencies and travel operators.
• The book and paper agreement – Applies to employees in bookshops.
• The office agreement – Applies to office employees, also employees in call centres.
• The industry agreement for law firms – Covers office staff at law firms.
• The collective agreement for managers – Applies to those who were previously covered by the collective agreement for managers in cooperatives and managers in Coop Norge SA and others.
• The information technology agreement – Applies to companies in the computer and office technology industry. Includes warehouse clerks/workers, office clerks, EDB operators, programmers and system and EDB consultants.
• The car salesman’s agreement – Applies to car salesmen.