Portrait
Norway's new Super Minister: Bjarne Håkon Hanssen
Mar 10, 2006 Work for all is one of the main aims of Norway's new left-of-centre government. "Super Minister" Bjarne Håkon Hanssen carries a great responsibility. He controls one in three of every krone in the budget. He has to make sure the government reaches its goal of a more inclusive working life. The hidden unemployment must be fought, and more people of employable age must be included in working life.
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Fighting against prejudice
Mar 01, 2006 In an effort to tackle discrimination at all levels of society, the Norwegian government has appointed the first ever equality and anti-discrimination ombud. The aim is to fight against all types of prejudice, be it on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability or age.
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Lack of manpower - a problem for all
Mar 01, 2006 Sergo Teider-Lastikka says it makes no real difference that his countrymen will soon be free to seek work in Finland, when the country opens her border to workers from the new EU member states. He has not seen much of the limitations which have been in place for the past two years either.
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Older workers: A mental change for Finland
Mar 01, 2006 The number of employed people over 55 years of age has increased more in Finland than in most other European countries in recent years. A full three quarters of the 300.000 jobs created between 1999 and 2001 were taken by older men and women.
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Sustainability - a strategy for the future
Mar 01, 2006 Can society be sustainable if working life isn't? By valuing working life in terms of sustainability, we add a new perspective of forward thinking and inclusiveness which concerns people. Sustainability puts work in a context which challenges traditional solutions and players, and it mobilises fresh thinking. This is one conclusion from a report written by professor Bjørg Aase Sørensen and Christin Thea Wathne at the Norwegian Work Research Institute.
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Making production sustainable: The Danish experience
Mar 01, 2006 When Danes talked about 'sustainable' production in the past, they were most likely thinking of organic farming products. During the 1980s and l990s the expression was given a wider meaning. Today it is associated with production, economy and working life.
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Integrity - a new term in Norwegian labour law
Mar 01, 2006 The Nordic countries set up labour inspection authorities to protect workers against accidents, dangerous chemicals and excessive spells of work. But how do labour inspection work when the work place is in transformation? During times of change so many things happen simultaneously that the employees’ integrity is threatened.
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Chaos within safe borders
Nov 03, 2005 You feel it as soon as you step inside Norwegian Snøhetta’s offices; something exciting is happening here. In what used to be a big harbour authority storage hall, overlooking the ravishing Oslo fjord through a huge glass window, 50 people are sat drawing the future.
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The Danish model: Inspiring growth
Sep 01, 2005 The combination ease of dismissal and job and economic security in Denmark has become a big success: 30 percent of Danish workers change jobs every year,unemployment is low, and Danish employees are the most content in the world. Now both employers and employees want to promote the Flexicurity model in Brussels.
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Iceland: The parental revolution
Sep 01, 2005 The image of parent and child doesn't necessarily involve a woman any longer in Iceland. For almost five years fathers in Iceland have been able to take paternity leave, and from day one they have made the most of it. This has been the largest step Iceland has taken towards gender equality. But there are still examples of employers who don’t follow the law.
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"Flexicurity more luck than planning"
Sep 01, 2005 The Danish flexicurity model is more luck than strategic planning, says Kongshøj Madsen, professor of labour market research. He is optimistic, and thinks the Danish tradition of combining flexibility and work security is the model which secures the best development.
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Tasting the community spirit
Sep 01, 2005 A few weeks after moving to Norway, I did something I would never have done anywhere else. At 6pm on the dot, I left my flat to meet my neighbours in the courtyard. We planted flowers, cleaned the grounds, painted the door frames, did the odd repair, and generally made our apartment block a better place to live in.
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Book in review: What future for the Nordic model?
Sep 01, 2005 Slash taxes and cut benefits to put an end to poverty. This is the recipe that is often prescribed by neo-liberal thinkers to solve society’s woes. Doing the opposite, in their minds,would amount to kill the golden goose of economic development.
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Youths falling at the hurdles of working life
Sep 01, 2005 There’s increased division in the labour market, and young people are the ones who are loosing out. Earlier there were alternatives for those who didn’t succeed in school or took a greater interest in practical work. Today those youths risk being left behind. There has been a change in the structures of the labour market, but many young people blame themselves.
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