Union associations caught in the troubled guide scandal

When it gets hard in Norway, the hard ones often disappear on sick leave. That happened again, with union associations Fellesforbundet Announced that his suddenly troubled guide Jørn Eggum was granted illness vacationCrown Step payment offer to a former lover and subordinate.

Eggum has long been considered one of the most powerful union leaders in Norway. Fellesforbundet is the largest union associations that represent employees in the private sector and within the country's largest union umbrellas. Eggum had also developed as the most likely candidate who was taken over this spring as the leader of Lo himself, and replaced the retired LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik.

Now Lo is trying to find a new leader after he has accepted his own decision of Eggum to withdraw his candidacy this week in the middle of questions of sexual exploitation and abuse of power. Fellesforbundet continued to press him, but Lo quickly took his retreat, with Følsvik said it was “the right one”.

Now Fellesforbund has announced that his own HR department Eggum had encouraged “for help in health care” and that he is now “on a sick leave”. Eggum had also canceled planned appearances at large public events this week, which were bound to celebrations for the working day on May 1st. His duties are taken over by Kine Asper Vistnes, the deputy federal leader Kine Asper.

The drama about Eggum exploded At the beginning of this week after TV2 reported that Eggum was deeply involved in an unpleasant matter. Initially denounced Fellesforbundet TV2'S reports, but then Eggum himself confirmed that in 2017 he had joined a sexual relationship with Merethe Solberg, a cook in an Ikea business in the Oslo area, which represented in Fellesforbundet, organized colleagues.

Solberg later became a leader of a division of the working association itself. The relationship between Solberg and Eggum ended three years ago, reports TV2Newspaper Post and other Norwegian media.

At the end of January of this year, the division listed by Solberg was put under the administration by the central board of the Federation after years of internal problems, which according to reports, according to the reporting. Eggum received the authority to achieve a severance payment contract with Solberg that would lose her job.

Solberg claimed that Eggum offered her herself Severance payment corresponds to a total annual income of around NOK 1 million, which she regarded as “still money”. Eggum, whose candidacy to become Norway's top union leader, denies this and claims that his proposal has no limitation for the publication of her earlier relationship. However, he confirmed the relationship himself, but admitted that he had not told Fellfor -Bundets board. The Federation continued to support him, but admitted that he should have informed his members of his private relationship with Solberg before taking responsibility to negotiate a severance payment contract with her that she has now opposed.

The entire matter has revived the concerns about the “I also” scandals, which a few years ago broke throughout Norway and powerful men with fewer powerful women in both business and politics. Media commentators have surprised that Fellesfor -Bundets Board of Directors continued to stand Eggum despite his lack of impartiality. Others within the Federation supported Solberg, with Rolf Eina Bloch-Hansen, who was sitting on another board, told Solberg Post That he supports her “100 percent” and is proud of her. “She takes over a powerful organization,” he said.

Now Eggum is sick, Fellforbundet's leadership appears in the suspension and Lo has to find a new leader as an eggum before the next weekend if it has its Lo congress, which only takes place every four years. The 300 delegates have to agree on a new guide nationwide on behalf of a million Lo members. The new top candidate is now expected Styrk (Which means strength) with around 80,000 members mainly in the oil, gas and industrial sector. Alfheim hesitated to confirm his candidacy, but said NRK: “It is nice that some consider me as a capable man.”

Newsinglish.no/nina Berglund