By Markus Hansen
President
Norwegian Elevator Constructors Union
E-Mail: Leder@heis.no
Dear Brothers and sisters, and friends of the Elevator Industry
I am writing this letter because of a fight we are having at the moment for a collective agreement on the elevator company called Orona Norway. I think many of you know about the company. For many years, this company has managed to prevent us from organizing their workers, until now. Now we have managed to organize about 60 percent of the workers, which means we can go to industrial action – and strike for the right to have a collective agreement. To be able to strike is the last, and only option we had to show Orona that we mean business.
17 of the workers have been on strike for 10 days now. The strike will be expanded by two on Monday – up to a total of 19 workers at Orona. The total workforce is 34 workers. The last 15 workers don´t dare to approach the union because of fear of the Orona management.
Orona is the last, and only, international company present in Norway that does not have a collective bargaining agreement – up until now they have managed to avoid all unions and threatened people not to join a union. At Otis, ThyssenKrupp, Schindler and Kone we have a 100 % organisation rate, and their management respect and follow the one collective bargaining agreement we have in the industry.
Orona is now threatening to shut down the entire operation if we do not give up our demand to have the collective agreement of the Elevator Industry. We know that they fear the collective agreement because it will mean the end on the use of sub-contractors and the use of temporarily staff. With the collective agreement Orona would have to pay their workers the same, equal pay as the rest of the elevator industry – and I think it does not fit to their agenda on using cheap labour and sub-contractors.
The good news is that those on strike, the workers at Orona, are feeling strong and brave when they know that they have the strength of the union at their back. They will not succumb until they win through their demands – even if Orona is to withdraw from Norway. Those on strike are not alone. Together with all the elevator constructor throughout Norway, we fight side by side with our brothers in Orona. This is a fight that means a lot to everyone in Norway.
I hope your organisation would, in solidarity, would write some words of support, for our 17 brothers at Orona, who are fighting against a multi-International company who does not accept unions and would rather withdraw from Norway – than to give the those 17 the same rights, the same salaries as the rest of the Elevator Industry. Please send words of solidarity back to my e-mail address. Thank you for reading this. Solidarity forever.
May 29, 2018
From the US blogsite, Facts for Working People
https://weknowwhatsup.blogspot.co.uk/
