Newsletter from MDN - Covid-19 update

We are sorry that no information has been released recently. Much of this is probably due to the fear of creating more frustration/chaos than trying to come up with something that then came out to be wrong the next day.
As last week was, new things were constantly happening, but we have been kept informed by the company on how the employer side has evaluated the present situation. 

The effect of the guidelines set by the authorities and internal requirements of the oil companies have caused changes for us several times and have meant that we have had to opt out of a common info with the company, but MAF have responded to all inquiries received. 

Today, a newsletter was submitted by the company explaining how they have decided on how to deal with the present situation. The company have used their management prerogative of control and then come up with their solution. This seems to us like the way most people in the industry have decided to handle the present situation.
It must be clear to everyone that this is not something that MAF has negotiated. This is a Newsletter from the company and not a protocol signed by two parties.
As a local union, we cannot accept anything that will be a breach of our collective bargaining agreement or otherwise will be a violation of the current applicable regulations.
Industri Energi (IE) has been in discussions with their counterparty several times about this matter. It is the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NR) which is our counterparty related to the mobile offshore units and the Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOG) for the fixed installations.
It is these players who can make exemptions regarding our conditions. In practice, this means that IE must now agree with NR and NOG on changes.
As one can read from the newsletter, the questions on quarantine is referred to and based on national requirements on the matter. In practice this means that the company claims that they have no duty of remuneration if someone does not manage to come to Norway and are quarantined. So, what will happen if you do not travel to Norway and accept the quarantine period which is currently 14 days? In the worst case, MDN will stop paying wages, and we don't know how, or if, the company will handle the matter as a ‘no show’ for work. 

Unfortunately, locally we can do nothing but submit all the cases to IE. For clarification, it is not MAF who then will decide whether this is an issue to be managed by the organizations, parties to the Collective Agreement. It is the IE who will decide whether this is a dispute for the courts to decide. 

We are in constant dialogue with IE and we address all relevant issues that come up. Again, it must be made clear that it is the company that has decided on the above, and it is also the company who should have answered all the questions that you have regarding the content of their Newsletter. 

Either way, we will pick up what is coming to us and post it on our web page.