International Trade Union Work in Focus
The International Committee in Styrke Equinor aims to strengthen international trade union work
within Equinor and in the countries where the company operates. In the autumn of 2025, we
organized a workshop in Oslo with the purpose of clarifying how the committee should work and
which actions we will follow up on going forward.
International cooperation matters
During the gathering this autumn, we received a thorough review of the international work that is done by the Union Styrke, presented by Amalie Hilde Tofte. We were reminded of how important
it is to keep international cooperation on the agenda in an increasingly unpredictable world. We gained an overview of key partners, projects, and focus areas – and not least the significance of the Arthur Svensson Prize for trade union work in authoritarian regimes.
This was a reality check on workers’ rights globally. Everyone should have the right to organize and the right to enter into collective agreements, but it is not that simple. It is uncertain times, and in many countries, workers and trade unions face serious crises. We see increasing violations
of fundamental rights, including access to legal protection, freedom of expression and assembly, as well as the right to collective bargaining.
There are breaches of the right to strike and the right
to register trade unions. Styrke has an office in Brussels and closely monitors developments in Europe. Geir Seljeseth
emphasized the importance of being present and building networks with politicians and decision-makers. Decisions in the EU and EEA can have major ripple effects for Norwegian workers, and therefore we must stay informed and influence where we can.
Styrke is part of LO, which also works on international issues. Marc Wiggam from LO presented developments and trade union influence in countries such as Germany, England, and the USA.
We see that cooperation between trade unions and employers in these countries is at a much lower level than in Norway.
This emphasize how important it is to maintain and increase union membership in Norway as well. We want to preserve the welfare society we have developed, and therefore we must remain
vigilant to ensure strong trade unions, also in Norway
The Transparency Act and the role of trade unions
The Norwegian Transparency and Human Rights Due Diligence Act require Equinor to report on due diligence assessments carried out in accordance with this law.
Marte Johnsen Stensrud and Erik I Nürnberg from Equinor presented this work. The company aims to excel in this area and publishes an annual statement on human rights efforts. In connection with this work, Styrke can contribute with information from our network about challenges in countries where the company operates, which can help uncover deficiencies, breaches of guidelines, and improve working conditions globally.
Global cooperation through IndustriAll
The Union Styrke is a member of IndustriAll, a global organization with over 50 million workers in 140 countries. IndustriAll works to improve working conditions and trade union rights worldwide, among other things through global framework agreements with international companies. Currently, there is ongoing work and negotiations to update and sign the agreement between IndustriAll and Equinor, as the latest agreement was signed in 2016
Your membership fee makes a difference
As a member of Styrke, you contribute 3% of your membership fee to international trade union work. This is something we can be proud of – and which makes a real difference for workers around the world. As Geir Seljeseth emphasized: “Trade union work is peace work.”
We are STRONGER TOGETHER!
If you want to read more about Styrke’s international engagement, you can find more articles here: Internasjonalt Archives – Styrke
