Tuesday 29 April 2014

Strike

We went on the purple (bog) walk
Well, the short holiday is over. It took a bit of work to get everything home (my sister needed to loan me another suitcase), but I managed in the end. I waited for ages at Dublin Airport. I scored a Danish flag at Copenhagen Airport and I forgot to buy duty-free at Oslo Airport. But when I got home, all that was forgotten. Because I was home again!

The path over the bog, with Pepperfly and my sister
On Sunday I didn't do much. I just enjoyed the sunshine and my new books/dvd's. And I waited. Waited to hear about whether or not we would go on strike. When I went to bed, there was still no answer. 

Perfect!
Norway is a country with a strong unionised workforce. And every few years, those unions demand across the board pay rises, better training, and whatever else is necessary to do a job properly and have a decent life. If the employers don't at least meet somewhere, the unions call for strikes. Last weekend was the mediation bit of the negotiations of our line of work: busdrivers, the initial talks having ended without any result.

Gorse
Early Monday morning I still didn't know whether the strike was on or off, so I made my way to work to... well... work. And after about an hour and a half of driving I got a text saying: there is a deal on the table, so no strike! The deal consists of extra money per hour, paid training and probably some other things as well. We still have to vote over it, but I think it's an okay thing.

In other news: I have a cold; I can finally order my Norwegian driver's license (I could two weeks ago, but what with Easter and then my holiday...); the grass in the garden is growing too fast and on Sunday I might get a new...

All photos today were taken on Friday, first we went on a walk and then on a drive. During that drive we saw beautiful things, however, my sister (who was driving) and the hedges didn't make it easy for me to take any photos. Well, apart from the one just above. I thought it was hilarious (Oma means grandma, I am easily pleased). Another thing that aparently was hilarious, was my ranting about said hedges and the fact that my sister wouldn't stop the car at all to let us poor passengers take a single photo!

5 comments:

  1. It's good to have a workplace to go back to.

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  2. Love the OMA trailer and your giggle box getting turned over when you saw it! Pretty sure my grandsons would love hauling me in the Oma mobile! Hey for the union working out the contract.

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  3. Hari OM
    Fabby break - great outcomes at work. All in all a good week then!! YAM xx

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  4. Don't talk about strikes ! The Belgians are champions ! there is a strike at least twice a month ! When not for the public transport, then the trains, then the closing of a factory and then the European strikes where everybody comes to Brussels ! It seems you had a lot of fun while driving. Oma is the same word in German, that's why my grandson calls me Nonna, because he has already a Dutch Oma !

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  5. Sounds like you had a perfect trip and it's always nice to get home. Glad that there will not be a strike and nothing wrong with a pay raise.

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!