When the going gets tough in Norway, the tough often disappear on sick leave. That’s happened again, with trade union federation Fellesforbundet announcing that its suddenly troubled leader Jørn Eggum has been granted sick leave after news broke that he’d been involved in a million-kroner severance pay offer to a former mistress and subordinate.
Eggum has long been viewed as one of Norway’s most powerful labour union leaders. Fellesforbundet is the largest trade union federation representing workers in the private sector and within the country’s largest trade union umbrella federation LO. Eggum had also emerged as the most likely candidate to take over as leader of LO itself this spring, and replace the retiring LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik.
Now LO is scrambling to come up with a new leader after it accepted Eggum’s own decision to withdraw his candidacy this week amidst issues of sexual exploitation and abuse of power. Fellesforbundet continued to express ongoing support for him, but LO quickly accepted his withdrawal, with Følsvik saying it was “the right thing to do.”
Now Fellesforbundet has announced that its own personnel department had encouranged Eggum “to seek health care assistance,” and that he is now “on sick leave.” Eggum had also cancelled planned appearances at major public events this week tied to May 1 Labour Day celebrations. His duties will be taken over by acting federation leader Kine Asper Vistnes.
The drama around Eggum exploded earlier this week, after TV2 reported that Eggum was deeply involved in an awkward affair. Fellesforbundet initially denounced TV2‘s reports but then Eggum himself confirmed he’d entered into a sexual relationship in 2017 with Merethe Solberg, a cook at an IKEA store in the Oslo area who represented fellow workers organized in Fellesforbundet.
Solberg later became leader of a division of the labour federation itself. The relationship between Solberg and Eggum ended three years ago, reports TV2, newspaper Aftenposten and other Norwegian media.
In late January of this year, the division led by Solberg was put under administration by the federation’s central board after years of internal problems that reportedly existed before she took over. Eggum was given authority to reach a severance agreement with Solberg, who would be losing her job in the process.
Solberg has claimed that Eggum himself offered her severance pay equal to a full year’s income of around NOK 1 million, which she regarded as “hush money.” Eggum, whose candidacy to become Norway’s top union leader was building, denies that and claims his proposal put no limits on publicizing their earlier relationship. He confirmed the relationship itself, but admitted that he had not told Felleforbundet’s board about it. The federation continued to support him, but did concede that he should have informed its members of his private relationship to Solberg before taking responsibility to negotiate a severance agreement with her that she, meanwhile, has resisted.
The entire affair has revived concerns about the “me too” scandals that were breaking all over Norway several years ago, involving powerful men taking advantage of less-powerful women in both business and politics. Media commentators have expressed surprise that Fellesforbundet’s board continued to stand by Eggum despite his lack of impartiality regarding Solberg. Others within the federation have expressed support for Solberg, with Rolf Eina Bloch-Hansen who sat on a different board with Solberg telling Aftenposten that he supports her “100 percent” and is proud of her. “She’s taking on a powerful organization,” he said.
Now Eggum is on sick leave, Felleforbundet’s leadership appears in limbo and LO needs to find a new leader other than Eggum before next weekend when it holds its its LO Congress that only takes place every four years. Its 300 delegates must agree on a new leader on behalf of a million LO members nationwide. The new top candidate is now expected to be Frode Alfheim, who leads the trade union federation Styrke (which means strength) with around 80,000 members mostly within the oil, gas and industrial sectors. Alfheim was reluctant to confirm his candidacy but told NRK that “it’s nice that some view me as a capable man.”
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
