From left: Geir Ove Ystmark, Chief Executive Officer, Sjømat Norge; Bjørn Lillebergen, mediator; and Hilde Elgesem Andersen, National Secretary of Fellesforbundet.
Photo: Willy Bergsnov / Fellesforbundet / Sjømat Norge.
On Friday evening, shortly before the deadline, the Norwegian Seafood Federation Sjømat Norge (Seafood Norway) and the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions Fellesforbundet reached an agreement on the revision of the Collective Agreement for Aquaculture in Norway, which guarantees the members—almost 4,000—a salary increase and the advance of sickness benefits, in line with the processing sector benchmark agreement, at 4.4%.
"We have achieved a financial settlement in line with the benchmark processing-sector agreement and secured several important demands. In addition, committees will be established to review working time provisions, the handling of holiday leave, and clarifications regarding the responsibilities of vessel masters," said Fellesforbundet's chief negotiator, its National Secretary, Hilde Elgesem Andersen.
Both Sjømat Norge and Fellesforbundet emphasized that, during the negotiations, the issue of advance payment of sick pay, parental benefits, and care benefits was central.
During the mediation—following a breakdown in negotiations, the parties had met for mediation on 18 and 19 June—, Seafood Norway, which had initially proposed a limited-duration pilot program, agreed to include provisions on advance payment in the collective agreement.
Finally, the parties agreed that the employer will advance sickness, maternity/paternity, and care benefits for up to four months, following, as said, the same model as the processing industry benchmark agreement. They also agreed to work together to improve capacity at NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.
"We have disagreed on whether advance payment should be included in the collective agreement. Developments in other negotiations and mediations have influenced the conclusion. It is now important that we all work to ensure that NAV has the shortest possible processing times, so that companies do not face a disproportionately large burden," Sjømat Norge CEO Geir Ove Ystmark, who led Seafood Norway's delegation, said, commenting on the understanding.
"For our delegation, it has been important to focus on the fact that these are fair demands that can be very important to individual members. Although many in the industry already have these rights, it is important to show solidarity with those who do not," stated, for her part, the Fellesforbundet representative.
"We are also very pleased that we have significantly increased the minimum wage rates and secured an important increase in on-call allowances for emergency standby duty," Elgesem Andersen added, before encouraging members to vote in favor of the agreement in the ratification vote.
"I encourage all members to exercise their right to vote and to express their opinion on the result," Fellesforbundet's chief negotiator concluded.
In line with the statements of its chief negotiator, in its release on the understanding, the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions stated that the delegation participating in the negotiation was very satisfied with the economic result obtained and highlighted what, for the organization, are the "key figures" of the agreement.
First, Fellesforbundet highlighted the general wage increase of NOK 6.50 per hour for all employees, plus an adjustment supplement of NOK 1.50 per hour for all employees. As mentioned above, there are currently approximately 4,000 workers in Norway covered by the Collective Agreement for Aquaculture.
Furthermore, minimum wage rates are increased by NOK 26.50 per hour, which results in an hourly wage of NOK 262 for newly hired employees and NOK 264 for employees with one year of seniority. The skilled worker certificate supplement is increased by NOK 5.50 per hour. And, finally, the standby-duty allowance is increased by 50%.
The union organization also highlighted that a new provision has been incorporated into the collective agreement, which establishes that all pregnant workers will receive continuous monitoring by the company's occupational health service.
Both parties also noted that clarifying the responsibilities of vessel masters/captains in the aquaculture industry was a key issue during the mediation. A commission has been established to examine these responsibilities, and it was agreed that the matter will be discussed at the local level and that a working group will be formed to present its recommendations in the summer of 2027.
Finally, Sjømat Norge highlighted that the agreement also contemplates the allocation of NOK 1.50 for local adjustments, which comes in addition to the usual allocation for local bargaining, and its CEO, Geir Ove Ystmark, said that Seafood Norway is pleased that a new arrangement has been established to strengthen local negotiations.