The BWI sends its fraternal solidarity to the 17 striking workers at the Orona elevator company in Norway, who have been on strike for 10 days now.
The workers are members of the Norwegian EL og IT Forbundet – Trade Union for Energy, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications and IT. Their goal is to conclude a collective bargaining agreement with the company that would bring working conditions up to the industry standards.
“Going on strike is a very serious decision, and all workers take that responsibility seriously”, said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson. “We completely support the workers’ demand for a collective agreement, and applaud their brave decision to take strike action.”
Orona have gone so far as if to suggest that the workers demand for of a collective agreement could cause them to close down their entire Norway operations.
”This fragility reflects Orona’s business model, which relies the use of subcontractors to lower labour costs. Among the union’s core demands is the end of the use of subcontractors, which drive down wages and conditions across the industry.”, Yuson continued.
"Subcontracting is endemic in the construction industry across the globe, from Australia to Pakistan to Serbia to Nigeria, BWI affiliates are fighting this scourge and holding principal employers responsible for the rights, wages and conditions of workers.”
“We are proud to support the work the Norwegian EL og IT Forbundet has achieved so far, and prouder still to support the stand made by the striking workers at Orona!
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is the global union federation for the construction, wood and forestry, building materials and allied sectors. The BWI comprises has over 340 affiliate unions from 130 countries, comprising a total of over twelve million workers.