Did not get a majority for opting out of the EEA and the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen

Only three people voted against to keep the current EEA-agreement under the Trade and Kontors last landsmøtedag Wednesday. As the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen wrote earlier this week, ba regionslederne in Northern Norway, Mid-Norway and East of that the union voted for a withdrawal, but was not the majority with him as they in the forefront had expected.

Believe in renegotiation

All hope is still not out, believes the leader in the East region, Ingunn Gjerstad. In the decision, it was namely taken in a formulation that “Commerce and the Office will support new negotiations with the EUROPEAN union with a view to negotiate a new and better EEA agreement”. The federation also proposes that the government put down a choice that will follow the negotiations between the united Kingdom and the EUROPEAN union in the wake of Brexit.

– It is a step in the right direction. We experience the decision as a foundation of that we are not satisfied with the EEA agreement, and that we on the basis of the experience gained from the brexit can renegotiate our own agreement so that it is greater degree of take-up in problems in Norwegian working life, ” says Gjerstad.

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– A good compromise

She is clearly evident that the battle of the EEA is not lost.

– We will not win all the battles, but we see that several LO-associations now puts into question how the agreement affects us and is willing to enter into the debate.

Also, Paul Julius Grove from the North-Norway-delegation spotting the hope for an EEA-exit.

– This is a good compromise. We are moving in the right direction by recognizing that we must do something with the EEA agreement, and it is important, ” says Grove.

Forbundsleder Trine Lise Sundnes, who at the congress were elected for four years, is brilliant satisfied that the agreement is retained. She has the whole time been aware that she does not want opt-out policy.

From our site is the debate about alternative agreements with the EUROPEAN union is now laid dead. Tilknytningsformen our UNION shall go through the EEA. Whether we should renegotiate the agreement, we must take a position until after we’ve seen the results from brexit, ” says Sundnes.

Read also: Requires the EEA-exit

Supported by the Sp

When the Ap leader Jonas Gahr Støre visited the congress on Monday, he clearly stated that a resignation is not relevant for his party. Nor renegotiation is necessary, he stated to the Daily newspaper.

Støres earlier regjeringskollega, Sp leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, think on their page that a new EEA debate is inevitable.

– We see that there is no majority to terminate the agreement, but we must not close the door so we can get to something better. We need to look at what opportunities brexit gives us. More and more in the trade unions are concerned about immigration, and it is because they notice that immigration depresses the wages and working conditions in some occupations. It should all the parties take seriously, says Vedum.

He will not, however, say that the Sp has taken the Aps space in the trade unions.

– We believe what we believe, and the Ap believes what they believe, and then we have the mutual respect that we have different traditions in this question.