Collective bargaining agreements

The agreements between employer and employee organizations are called collective agreements. There are both overall collective agreements and collective agreements that only apply to a single workplace. The collective agreements are like a kind of peace agreement: They establish what the rules of the game are for wages and working conditions within an industry or occupational group for a specific period. You do not have to be part of a trade union to be included in a collective agreement, it is sufficient that your employer has entered into such an agreement. In Norway, around 70 per cent of all employees are included in collective agreements. 

The vast majority in the public sector are unionized (80% in 2019), while in the private sector less than half are unionised. At state owned higher education and research institutions, around 80 % of the staff is organised. All unions offer certain benefits, for example, competitively priced insurance products, to their members. 

To reflect upon: 

• Why do you think that union membership is higher in the public sector compared to the private sector? 
• How is cooperation and co-determination practiced at your workplace? 
• Have you ever thought about becoming a union representative yourself?