The announcement that the general strike will now become a reality came on Sunday afternoon, after fruitless negotiations that took place over the weekend.
The Norwegian unions have demanded wage increases of at least 5.0 percent for wages to increase more than consumer prices in 2023.
On one side stands Norwegian LO together with YS (Yrkesorganisasjonenes Sentralforbund), on the other employer in the form of Næringslivets Hovedorganisasjon (NHO).
Negotiated all night
– It is very deadlocked and a serious situation, said the mediator Mats Ruland at a press conference on Sunday morning.
Since the deadline expired last night, LO has announced that it is prepared to take an additional 15,000 members on strike in addition to the 23,000 already announced.
Strikes against the whole of Norway
The strike is expected to affect all of Norway and, among other things, breweries such as Ringnes, Hansa and Mack. In addition to closed beer taps, 120 employees at Coca-Cola have also been notified of a strike.
In addition to breweries, the strike is also expected to hit the food industry and, among other things, the listed industrial conglomerate Orkla, which also has large operations aimed at the Swedish market. Among the brands are Felix, Kronjäst and OLW.
– It is impossible to predict, it can take a short or long time, it will be guesswork on my part, says the mediator Mats Ruland about the future development.