– Usually loves people to hate NSB – the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen

Martin Schjetne is lokfører in Oslo. To-day he takes the commuter trains between Lillestrøm and Spikkestad. But today he streikevakt at Oslo S.

Not because he actually is taken out in the strike, it is he namely not. He will run the train a little later in the afternoon.

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– But why are you here in streikevest then?

Must be solidarity, ” says Schjetne.

– You hobbystreiker?

Hehe, oh well, it’s not as many trains as is. It is worse than this when it is signalproblemer.

Around us at Oslo S, the situation is about as usual. Hundreds of passengers and other passers-by wandering here and there, without taking up particularly much near by Martin Schjetne and colleague Jan Other Nomerstad that stands in their yellow-green streikevester and handing out flyers during the avgangstavla. The lights do not have a “set” from the particularly many departures.

– Sorry, the train to Lillestrøm …? there are some who begin to ask. Without any thought on the strike. The striking explains, as if they were completely ordinary NSB employees on the job.

Positive people

So are also the people both courteous and positive in which they accept løpelapper from the striking. Although it is quite difficult to understand what they actually strikes, the audience is very positive.

– It is a bit strange. Usually love the people to hate the NSB.

It says Janne Håkonsen. She sits on the board of directors in Lokomotivpersonalets Association Oslo and is on the streikevakt. To common running she train in Oslo. For Online readers, she became most known when she showed the finger to the entire jernbanereformen outside Parliament last year.

The time there was political strike. Now it is quite common tariff-strike. But what strikes, it is not as common. Lokførerne strikes to get the competence requirements to togførere tariff-festa. So that in lokførernes collective agreement with the NSB and Cargonet (a period of NSB), it should say what kind of education you need him to drive the train.

Why? No, you see …

until 2011 was that in the collective agreement that you had to have a Norwegian Jernbaneskole, or equivalent education, to run the train. But that year came a new EU regulation, which defined common EUROPEAN union rules for the approval of the lokførerutdannelse. Fagskolekravet disappeared (with the exception of a femukerskurs) and it was opened for that togselskapene even be able to perform own lokføreropplæring. Thus was it that stood in the collective agreement suddenly out of date.

Now works Ministry of transport and communications with the new rules. But politics takes time. Lokførerne are afraid that togselskapene will set different requirements for the drivers at different distances, and hence there will not be common, national standards for everything you need to learn before you are going to run the train.

– What we have seen is that arbeidsgiverorganisasjonene in the discretion of the association with the blåblå the government constantly go on the attack on workers ‘rights,” says Håkonsen.

– the Strike is not about wages, but about our working conditions and the requirement to establish competence.

Surprised

But how long will it last? The streikevaktende workers at Oslo S is not secure.

– It is difficult to say. Yesterday I didn’t it was going to be a strike at all. I hope the NSB takes to sanity, ” says Martin Schjetne.

– It is pleasant and friendly to strike a little, well?

– No, I want to work.

– Pøh, it says all the striking.

– I mean it really! I’m happy to run the train!

as long as holding the NSB far away from things that smell of streikebryteri, then. They have not set up the bus for the train, for example.

But it had been a disaster, ” says Jane Håkonsen.

– Then we had well set us in the way of the buses, physically.

Agreement is the wrong place

the employers ‘ association Range, which represents the NSB here, see it’s not quite as lokførerne do. They are also not on the streikevakt, so I had to pick up the phone and call ms. Ingvild Dahl Dørnes.

Safety is the most important thing for the NSB, and it is the employer who has the responsibility to ensure that everything is secure, safe and well. This responsibility cannot be left to the trade unions.

– But, when can you just accept the demands, then?

NSB is of course totally agree that there should be competency requirements, but the collective agreement is the wrong place to regulate it. The requirements need to be determined by the government, so everyone gets equal terms, ” she says.

– It is not appropriate to tariffeste expertise to lokomotivførerne, so that this becomes a forhandlingsspørsmål where fagofreningen can go on strike if they do not get what they want, ” she says.

How long will it take?

It is Lokomotivmannsforbundet that have implemented this strike, we have no idea how long it will last.