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- YTF met with State Secretary Line Eldring to address social dumping in the transport industry and the need for stronger measures.
- The union warns that wages and working hours are checked far too rarely, even though this is what matters most to drivers.
- YTF believes that the authorities must control more, respond more strictly to violations and cooperate better on the road.
The summary was created using artificial intelligence (AI) and quality assured by Adrian Pracon.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is out along the road where the drivers have their workplace, and checks vehicles. Load securing, driving and rest times, etc. The Labour Inspectorate is far less visible, and is supposed to enforce wages and working hours. The driver's conditions are checked far too rarely.. That was the clear message then YTF met with State Secretary Line Eldring at the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion.
From YTF The event was attended by union leader Trude Sande, lawyer and head of legal department Josefine Wærstad and communications manager Adrian Pracon. YTF At the same time, it was announced that it is positive that the government has put social dumping in transport higher on the agenda. But for drivers out on the road, the problem is far from gone. Prices are still being squeezed hard, and all too often it is wages and conditions that take the hit.
Last year, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration had 92,943 inspections of heavy transport. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority had 1,055 inspections within transport and storage. It is a picture that is easy to understand. The vehicle is checked. If the salary is correct, there are far fewer people who check. When the risk of being caught is low, it is also easier to make money from breaking the rules.
"We meet many drivers who feel the same way: Prices are being pushed down, working days are getting longer, and it's the serious ones who lose out. It's not enough to have the car checked if no one is looking at the salary. There needs to be more checks where there are actually savings," says Trude Sande.
Before YTF This is about more than the number of inspections. It is also about how strict the reactions are and where the responsibility lies. In the transport industry, assignments are often passed on from one level to the next. It is then easy for the pressure to fall on the transporter and ultimately on the driver, while those who buy the transport can shift the responsibility away. It is this bias YTF I think you need to clean up.
"Too often, responsibility ends up with the one who is easiest to take. But that is not always where the decisions are made. If we are to have a more serious transport industry, the rules must also apply to those who buy the transport and choose price over seriousness," says Josefine Wærstad.
YTF's message at the meeting was therefore simple: The authorities must both control more, react more strictly to violations and place responsibility higher up in the transport chain. It should not be the case that one transporter disappears, while the system behind it continues as before. If things are to be cleaned up, it must become more difficult to build a business on low wages and unclear responsibility.
YTF also called for better cooperation between the agencies. The union believes that permanent cooperation is needed on road checks, so that the authorities can more often and more easily follow up on both the vehicle, the working day and the salary. It should pay to drive seriously.
"We found the meeting to be good and constructive. It is good that the government is working on these issues. At the same time, we were clear that this must be felt on the road. Drivers should not be the ones paying the price for cheap freight," says Sande.
