Norway food workers union readies strike at 18 fish processing plants over minimum wage
SEAFOODNEWS.COM May 19, 2014
A potential strike could disrupt operations at 18 Norwegian whitefish and salmon processing plants this week.
The Norwegian Food and Allied Workers Union has set a strike deadline of Wednesday, May 21st, after having failed to reach agreement with fish plant owners.
The union claims that companies are circumventing the minimum wage by paying foreign workers less.
In Norway, the minimum wage for fishplant workers is 157 NOK ($26.50), but the union claims many plants are paying foreign workers 90 NOK ($15.20).
Last year the European union issued a directive saying that foreign EU workers in Norway should be paid at the Norwegian rates. However, one company, Sekkingstad Sotra, sold itself to a Polish operation, so that it would be exempt from this directive.
The other fish plant owners agree that this represents unfair competition...
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