This week an agreement was reached between the Norwegian
Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the employers' federation
(NHO) about the right to have education as part of work.
Every working person shall be included in this arrangement, and both
parts in the agreement say the agreement should be a part of the
Norwegian laws.
When a person has been working at least two years in a
company/institution etc. he/she has the right to one year of
education. And if the education lasts not more than one year he/she
has the right to return to the same position as they left.
The relation between work and education is 2:1, that is every two
years of work give the right to one year of education, or every year
gives a half year education. Nobody has right to more than one leave
for education per year, and nobody is entitled to more than three
years of education in a stretch.
The education should be related to occupational/working life. A
worker shall tell his employer that he is going for education at
least three months before he leaves. Keypersonell that it is
difficult to find a substitute for may wait untill a substitute is
found.
And now begins the work to fund this arrangement. The goal is that
persons should be able to leave with pay.
Today the unemployment rate in Norway is very low, less that 3%, so
it might be the right time to start to fund this arrangement.
The agreement is published on the web on URL::http://www.lo.no/ in
Norwegian.
Tor Forde
Tor Forde
