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On May 2, 2000, 80,000 workers from Norway’s
working class in the private sector went on an indefinite strike. Unprecedented
in the anals of Norway’s recent working class movement, the strike was against
the agreement signed by the social democratic leadership of the TUC. As the
strike grew in strength each day it lasted, it gained massive support from the
public at large. On the 7th day the TUC leadership and managements were forced
to sign a new agreement, thus ending the strike. This victory enormously raised
the self-confidence of the rank-and-file trade union members.
Background
Since the early 1990s class collaboration between
the TUC leadership, the Employers’ Organisation (NHO) and the State, coalesced
into what was called the "Solidarity Alternative". This "Alternative"
maintained that the workers of Norway must get moderate wage increases, so that
Norwegian industry can compete with those in Europe. It maintained that the wage
increases must not be higher than that of Norway’s major trading partners.
The grass-roots workers of the trade unions have,
from the start, been against this "Alternative." In 1998, the opposition
within the TUC in the private sector, Felles- forbundet, won a vote in
the leadership for sector-wise/occupation-wise national negotiations for
collective agreements. The leadership of the TUC was for centralised
negotiations. The spring of 1998 witnessed many well fought strikes,
particularly in the Transport, and in the Hotels and Restaurants sectors. This
resulted in general wage increases, much higher than in those countries Norway
trades with.
But in January 2000 the opposition lost the vote on
the question of centralised bargaining, and the TUC leadership commenced to
negotiate for the private sector as a whole. The agreement struck on April was
an outright betrayal of the workers’ interests, and was along the lines of the
"Solidarity Alternative."
In Norway the results of collective negotiations
are put to a referendum among the trade union members. This time there was a
historically high vote against the agreement — 64%. The strike commenced,
formally led by the TUC leadership, but, in reality, led by the left opposition
within it. After a week of the strike, the TUC was forced to sign a new
agreement.
As Andresen’s report states the strike was a : "
general victory, both against the employers and in the struggle against those
that put collaboration with the capitalists, before solidarity with workers
internationally." Though the new agreement was better than the earlier one,
it was still far below expectations. The new agreement was also to be put to a
referendum. On May 15 the local organisation of the TUC-unions in Norway’s third
largest town, Trondheim and local unions in various parts of Norway decided to
start a new campaign to once again vote NO on the new agreement. Through this
the opposition expects to strengthen its base amongst the grass roots workers.
As the AKP report says "The struggle against
‘social dialogue’, ‘social pacts’ and other forms of class collaboration has
taken a step forward in the spring of 2000. The battle is over, but the war goes
on......"
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