Representatives from the Norwegian maritime unions and the HR department at the SolstadFarstad office in Skudeneshavn
Sitting from left: Andreas Bakken - DNMF Farstad, Paul Haugland - NSF Solstad, Kristian Hansen - DNMF Solstad, Gunnar Amland – NSF
Standing from left: Vegar Rabben - NSOF Solstad, Jens Folland - NSOF Farstad, Kim L. Velve - NSF Farstad, Pål Jacobsen - crew manager,
Per Stange - HR director, Børge Ivan Hansen - deputy crew manager
both layups and layoffs, but this is done in
close dialogue and cooperation with
union representatives, explains Stange.
Andreas Bakken, represents previous of
Farstad’s sailors who are organized in the
NEA. He believes the mergers of the three
shipping companies have so far been
good, and that SolstadFarstad is moving
in a positive direction.
– The company is working hard on the
further development of the company and
it is on the right way to safeguard the
company’s financial situation, says
Bakken. At the same time, he also sees
that it is difficult for employees affected by
the downsizing to see the positive in the
company’s growth.
– It is not us as a union representatives
who lay off people, but it is our job to keep
our coworkers best interest in mind when
negotiating, he says.
– The company is free to make the
savings they consider necessary in the
current situation, ads Rabben, but we
must ensure that the process is done as
fairly as possible.
The seafarers employed on Norwegian
terms from SolstadFarstad are currently
not employed in the same company, but
this happens when Farstad employees
are transferred to Solstad Shipping AS as
of 1 January 2018. The cooperation
between the elected representatives is
still well under way, and everyone
expresses their support for the company’s
attempt to consolidate. At the same time,
they experience that it is nice to have
more colleagues.
The company’s representatives and the
elected representatives hope things look
brighter in 2018, and in the meantime,
they agree that everyone has the same
goal. That is to minimize the consequenc-
es for both employees and the company.
SOLSHIPS – DECEMBER 2017
27