“With this agreement for a more inclusive
workplace, we have made good progress towards our vision for a new
working life,” says Gerd-Liv Valla, President of the Norwegian
Confederation of Trade Unions (LO).
Between 1995 and 2000, absenteeism rose by
46 % and is today higher than at any other time. It leads to anxiety
for the individual who runs the risk of being alienated from the labour
market and results in major costs for companies and society alike. The
debate on what action needs to be taken to reduce absenteeism and
rising costs has been around for some time now and has occasionally
become rather heated. In Norway, employees are entitled to sick pay
equivalent to 100% of their pay packet from the first day of absence.
It has been argued that reducing sick pay would be a way of reducing
absenteeism.
LO President, Gerd-Liv Valla, is one of
those giving her full support to the argument for sick pay to be left
unchanged. Another measure that has been discussed involves extending
the period covered by the employers. It is now clear that the Norwegian
government and the social partners are opting for a different tack. It
involves a mutual obligation from all parties to work towards a more
inclusive workplace.
Procedures for signing an employee off
work must be made earlier than they are at present and must be linked
to the work-place. This will require greater awareness and more open
dialogue between employers and employees. People from different
work-places are also joining forces to work constructively towards
preventing alienation.
The agreement provides incentives for both
employers and employees. One of the ideas is to make it economically
worthwhile for all partners to work actively towards creating an
inclusive work-place. Tackling preventative working environment issues
and including people with disabilities at work has to be seen to be
worth the effort.
If they so wish, companies can come to
their own agreement with the authorities, for example, in the health
insurance area. They are then committing themselves to working
systematically towards reducing absenteeism and earning the right to
call themselves “inclusive workplace companies”. For their part, the
authorities undertake to provide practical and financial help in
supporting the companies in their work. For example, companies who have
signed the agreement will have their own personal contact at the social
security office and will benefit from lower social insurance
contributions. Employees will also have a greater opportunity to sign
themselves off sick without a doctor’s note.
Another important issue is to get disabled
people into work and create a work-place where it is possible to work
right up to pensionable age. One of the obstacles facing the older
workforce often quoted by employers is that it has become expensive to
employ older people. Employers are now being offered a reduction in
social insurance contributions for everyone over 62. NHO, the
Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry, is also happy with
the agreement.
“LO and Norway’s Confederation of
Vocational Unions, YS, have now recognised that absenteeism in Norway
can be reduced by at least 20 % and that the employers’ organisations
want to work actively towards achieving this,” says Finn Bergesen jr.,
NHO’s Managing Director.
If the 20 % target is reached, it would
save between eight and nine billion Norwegian kroner, half of which is
borne by employers. Bergesen is also positive about the way the
government is enabling employees to be bought out of the hospital
queues, that moves are being made to encourage active sick-list periods
and that companies are intensifying their rehabilitation work
programmes.
