Risk of strikes in aviation 

Talks between the union LO Stat and the employer organisation Spekter have broken off, which means that state-owned airport operator Avinor could see staff head out on strike over wages. 

“We have come a long way, but now the Riksmekleren (national mediator) will be next. The distance is too great, and the willingness to negotiate is too little. We have experienced attacks on accumulated rights, and that agreements entered into are not followed up,” Lise Olsen from LO Stat said in a statement. 

Therefore, up to 900 employees could go on strike if mediation fails to reach an agreement. No date has been set for the mediation process. 

Norwegian employers less optimistic

Employers have their lowest expectations for the future for at least eight years, according to figures from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). 

Far fewer companies anticipate taking on more staff next year, according to an annual survey from NAV. 

Only one in ten companies was expecting the number of employees to increase. 

Companies also said that finding qualified candidates had become less of a problem in 2024 than it had been previously. 

The shortage of workers in Norway has fallen from around 70,000 to 43,600. 

The state makes offer to farmers 

The state has offered 2.62 billion kroner in the agricultural settlement, which is an increase in income of around 70,000 kroner per man year. However, it is still well short of farmers’ demands of 3.9 billion kroner. 

“The state is delivering a good offer today that follows up on the Storting (Norwegian parliament) report on increased self-sufficiency and income escalation. The offer shows that the escalation plan is being followed, and it is planned to close a third of the income gap already in this year’s offer,” Viil Søyland, chief negotiator for the state, said. 

Due to a demanding situation for farmers, the government needed to do more to plug an income gap, according to Bjørn Gimming, head of the farmers’ union and leading negotiations for the agricultural sector. 

House prices in Norway rose in April 

House prices rose by 1.2 percent last month, and the average price of a home was 4.7 million kroner at the end of last month, according to figures from Real Estate Norway. 

In April, 9,942 homes were sold in Norway, a 40 percent increase from the previous year. 

“A large number of homes were both sold and advertised in April, and we had a real spring flood in the housing market in April,” Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Real Estate Norway, said.