A total of 220 opera, theater and orchestra employees in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger remained on strike this week, forcing cancellation of performances that only recently had started up again after Corona shutdowns. At issue are disputed pension plans.
Among state-supported institutions affected are the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, Det Norske Teatret and the National Theater in Oslo, Den Nationale Scene and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Bergen and Rogalands Teater in Stavanger. Workers’ unions want better pension plans for their members and called the strike after negotiations over the past five years failed to result in any settlements.
Another 215 workers in the cultural sector may be called out to join the strike this week. Another dispute broke out late last week when the Norwegian Opera “made changes” in work schedules that allowed a sold-out performance featuring Norwegian opera star Lise Davidsen and Freddie De Tomaso to proceed. Unions called it strike-busting, while the performance itself won more rave reviews for Davidsen. A performance of the ballet “One of a kind” on Saturday, however, was cancelled.
newsinenglish.no staff
