News — Nordic Labour Journal

Workplace battlegrounds: Are Norwegian employees being criminalised?

(May 28, 2021) How should an employer handle workplace conflicts? In Norway, it is becoming increasingly common to hire external consultants to perform a workplace investigation. The consultants often come from a legal or psychological background. Employees risk being exposed to situations resembling police interrogations – yet with no legal protection, warn researchers Bitten Nordrik and Tereza Østbø Kuldova.

The social pillar strengthened after EU Porto summit

(May 10, 2021) The EU’s informal summit in Porto, Portugal, on 7 - 8 May ended in a declaration which strengthens the social pillar’s importance in the Union. To the relief of Nordic member states, the introduction of statutory minimum wages was not mentioned in the final document.

Will English become the new Nordic language of cooperation?

(Apr 29, 2021) Which language should the Nordic region choose for its future cooperation? The common Scandinavian which is spoken by three-quarters of the Nordic population? Or do we take the consequences of an ever decreasing understanding of languages and turn to English? Is the Nordic identity at all built on a common language?

Greenland chooses new government in protest against controversial mining

(Apr 29, 2021) Greenland’s natural resource fairytale must not come at the expense of Greenlanders’ health, welfare and job opportunities. That was the clear signal from voters as they went to the polls to on 6 April 2021 and got a new coalition government.

Sexual harassment: new knowledge needed

(Apr 29, 2021) Sexual harassment in the care sector has had less attention than harassment in other sectors. Patients behaving inappropriately is often seen as part of the job. “High tolerance levels represent a problem,” says Bryndis Elfa Valdemarsdottir, who has been heading the Icelandic part of a Nordic project looking at this problem.

Disability in the workplace: More than new technology is needed

(Apr 17, 2021) Can new technology, and mainly digitalisation, help people with disabilities do better in the labour market? A new report from the Nordic Welfare Centre is not optimistic.

Nordic inspiration behind new EU directive

(Apr 06, 2021) Yet another EU directive dealing with wages is in the pipeline. This time it is about pay transparency and the aim is to improve compliance with the principles of equal pay for men and women. The proposal is said to be inspired by good experiences from Denmark and Sweden, but differs quite a bit from what is common practice in those countries.

Future Nordic mobility depends on crisis cooperation

(Mar 24, 2021) Increased Nordic cooperation is needed before Nordic citizens can regain pre-Corona levels of confidence to apply for jobs, study or buy second homes in a different Nordic country. That was the message at a conference on border obstacles on Nordic Day 2021.

Finland and Sweden: one year, two cities, one closed border

(Mar 24, 2021) In Sweden, the talk was about Finland “closing the border to Sweden”. In Finland, it was called “necessary domestic border controls”. It has been more than a year since the Corona pandemic changed everyday life in the most integrated region of the Nordics – the twin cities of Tornio and Haparanda.

The Nordics – a family in need of therapy?

(Mar 24, 2021) The pandemic has challenged both the Nordic cooperation and trust between Nordic citizens. But many of the challenges ahead call for joint action on climate, welfare and sustainable development. The Nordic cooperation is deadly necessary, underlines Finland, which holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021.

LGBTI certification – more than a rainbow flag outside the building

(Mar 24, 2021) Insecurity can stifle conversations about LGBTI – better to say nothing than risk choosing the wrong word. At Dunker Culture House in Helsingborg, knowledge gained from certification has had a positive effect on both visitors and the work environment. It has also increased self-confidence among staff.

No Swedish OECD head – controversial Australian wins

(Mar 23, 2021) Australian Mathias Cormann is the OECD’s new Secretary-General after beating Swedish candidate Cecilia Malmström. It has been 14 years since a new leader was elected for the organisation, which is made up of 37 industrialised countries.

More women in STEM jobs would benefit all of society

(Mar 23, 2021) Could education or jobs be to blame for women and girls not choosing science, technology, engineering or mathematics – known as STEM – occupations? Or is it the women and girls themselves who need to change?

Global initiative to strengthen social dialogue

(Mar 23, 2021) The Corona pandemic has shown the importance of making quick decisions – but these also need public support. That is why social dialogue is so important. Global Deal, launched by Sweden together with the OECD and the ILO, is one of the few initiatives looking at social dialogue from an international perspective.

Norway: women engineers on the rise

(Mar 22, 2021) Ingvild Wang (24) has a master of technology from Norway’s University of Science and Technology, NTNU. She believes role models and equal education opportunities have led to a good proportion of women among young engineers.