In 2015, the government abolished the right to unemployment benefit leave. Instead, a system has been introduced whereby people who are unemployed for 52 weeks are entitled to holiday without losing unemployment benefits.
The Labor Party has proposed to spend NOK 3,4 billion to restore the holiday allowance for unemployed and redundant workers. Other left-wing parties support this, but the government and the FRP are thumbs down.
We have decided to prioritize jobs rather than new social programs, replied Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) when she was under pressure on this issue during Question Time on Wednesday by the Storting.
Norway is in the second wave of COVID-19 infection.
The situation is serious from a health point of view, but it is also serious for much of the business community. Currently, there are 195 unemployed and jobseekers in the country. In the last week alone, 000 people were looking for a job. While unemployment has dropped by half since its Easter peak, Norway still has high unemployment. The Norwegian state should pay for the handshake to those who have the hardest. It is about demanding justice and the lack of a new welfare system.
For a single employee who is unemployed or suspended. In any case, it is not able to afford it on holidayswhether unemployment is high or low. Holiday allowances for unemployed and laid-off workers should therefore be reintroduced as a permanent program and not just as an additional gesture during the coronavirus crisis.
Fixed expenses do not take time off. Unemployed and laid-off workers should also be able to afford taking their children on holiday this summer, for example. At the same time, vacation trips can help the Norwegian tourism industry, which is struggling with the problem.
