Norway: Collective agreement a victory for teachers
A strike by 17 teachers at a privately-run government funded school north of Oslo in Norway has ended, representing a victory for the teachers who were on strike since 18 March.
The 17 teachers at the Heltberg upper secondary school went on strike after the school management refused to renew the existing collective agreement. The teachers were members of the Union of Education Norway (UEN), an Education International affiliate.
The strike came to an end after the employer agreed on 10 April to the teachers’ demand for a collective agreement.
On equal footing
“This has been a very important fight for us, and I’m glad that teachers at the Heltberg school can now negotiate under the terms of a collective agreement, just like almost all teachers in Norway,” said UEN President Ragnhild Lied.
The strike placed a great strain on the teaching staff, but they were determined to fight this important battle and won, she highlighted. “They will now return to what they like doing best, which is teaching their students,” Lied added.
