Justice Minister slams attorneys who advise clients to keep silent (Aftenposten)

On the same day that the trial starts in the Orderud triple murder case, Justice Minister Hanne Harlem has publicly attacked attorneys who advise their clients not to give a statement to the police. "Society has a problem if defence lawyers advise their clients to keep quiet in the hope it will increase their chances of an acquittal," says Ms Harlem to the legal journal, Advokatbladet. Ms Harlem made it clear to Aftenposten that she did not have the Orderud case in mind when she made her comments. She said she wanted to start a debate on the role of the defence counsel.

Great faith in the centre (Nationen)

A clear majority of the population believe the centre alliance parties and Kjell Magne Bondevik offer a real alternative to the current government. Labour, Progress and Conservative party voters all believe in a centre alliance alternative. According to a poll carried out by market researchers Din Mening/Norsk Statistikk for Nationen, 46 per cent of the electorate say they believe the centre alliance parties together constitute a viable alternative to the current Labour government. 35 per cent do not think the centre alliance forms such an alternative, while 18 per cent are unsure. Per-Kristian Foss, leader of the Conservatives’ parliamentary party, says the poll does not indicate how strong support for the centre alliance is. "As long as people remember the Bondevik government it is obvious that a centre alliance constitutes a real government alternative. Whether such an alliance has broad political support is quite another matter," says Mr Foss. He points out that an alternative including the Conservatives would be more popular, since the Conservative Party alone has almost as much support as the centre alliance parties have together.

Christian Democrats pledge support for public transport (Dagsavisen)

The Christian Democrats want to spend NOK 2.2 billion on the trains, buses and trams. But the party admits it did not keep its promises the last time it announced it wanted to give the transport sector a boost. Tomorrow the Christian Democrats open their annual conference in Hell, South Trøndelag. At a press conference yesterday the party announced that increased investment in public transport would be one of its key election issues this autumn.

Christian Democrat optimism (NTB)

The Christian Democrats are glowing with self-confidence and optimism. The polls are currently looking good, the annual conference in Stjørdal seems set to be a harmonious affair, and in the distance delegates can see the chance of a return to office. Interest in the annual conference is mainly linked to speculation surrounding the coming election and the coalition options which the election result will present. But relationships within the centre alliance are not exactly harmonious. The Centre Party’s annual conference adopted a number of resolutions which stab at the heart of Christian Democrat policies. The resolutions irritated the broad mass of Christian Democratic Party supporters and were seen as highly provocative. They also led to speculation that the Conservatives may replace the Centre Party as one of the coalition parties after the election.

NOK 12 million in salary (Dagens Næringsliv)

Kværner’s chief executive Kjell Almskog was paid more than NOK 12 million last year. In addition to a basic salary of over NOK 8 million, Mr Almskog received a bonus of around NOK 4 million. Yngve Hågensen, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), says he feels betrayed by the employers and is threatening to withdraw from the long-standing cooperation on wages between the employers, unions and the Government. "If the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) cannot manage to keep a check on executive salaries, we do not have any wages policy agreement," says Mr Hågensen.

Pay their way out of working environment problems (Aftenposten)

Almost all Norwegian companies accept without question fines imposed for breaches of the Working Environment Act. Industrial accidents which the police find are due to poor working practices and training can result in fines of up to several hundred thousand kroner. Most companies pay up in order to put the matter behind them as quickly as possible. "It may mean that the fines are still not high enough," says Trygve Dahl of the Labour Inspectorate’s legal department.

Higher electricity prices will push inflation over current target (Dagens Næringsliv)

Higher electricity prices will lead to a substantial rise in the consumer price index. The Central Bureau of Statistics (SSB) has adjusted its forecast for inflation up by one percentage point. If the forecast is accurate the Norwegian Central Bank will miss its inflation target by some margin. The SSB had based its original calculations on a nine per cent rise in electricity prices and an inflation rate of 2.5 per cent this year. Torbjørn Eika, a researcher with the SSB, has calculated that if electricity prices rise by 25-30 per cent instead, it will lead to a further increase in inflation of one percentage point. This means that we could see inflation as high as 3.4 per cent.

Worth Noting

• The Director General of Public Prosecutions has brought charges against train driver Ragnar Jensen in connection with the train crash at Lillestrøm in April last year. The charges carry a minimum sentence of two years in prison. Mr Jensen’s train collided with a stationary goods train, causing two rail tankers containing a total of 92 tonnes of propane gas to leak and then burn. (Dagbladet)
• The opportunity to seek medical treatment abroad rather than remain on a hospital waiting list in Norway has not led to the mass migration politicians had expected. In five months just over 300 people have received treatment at foreign hospitals, and only a fraction of the NOK 1.2 billion allocated by the Storting for the purpose has been spent. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• In a proposal to the annual conference of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions is calling for the 37.5-hour week to be made a legislated right for all employees. The LO central office and Gerd-Liv Valla, who is expected to take over as the next president of the LO, are opposed to the proposal. According to the LO central office’s own proposal to the annual conference, the right to a shorter working week should be reserved for unionized workers only. (Klassekampen)
• Last year’s strike supremo, Per Østvold, has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of the LO’s annual conference at the beginning of May and is demanding an across-the-board wage rise of "at least five per cent". (Verdens Gang)
• Norwegian fishing boat owners who sell old trawlers to Russia in return for fish are the clear winners in the battle for Russian cod. The fishing boat owners increase their profits by selling the Russian catches in the global market. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Bill Clinton is coming to town. On 14 May a specially invited audience of business leaders and other prominent public figures will gather at Oslo’s Chateau Neuf theatre to hear Mr Clinton speak for an hour on a wide range of management and leadership issues. Mr Clinton’s fee has been confirmed at USD 150,000.

Today’s comment from Dagbladet

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg yesterday announced a reduction in Norwegian measures to slow down the greenhouse effect. Behind the decision is US President George W. Bush’s refusal to ratify the Kyoto Agreement on Global Warming. As a result European businesses will face unreasonable costs compared to their US competitors. Mr Stoltenberg was yesterday strongly criticized for his lack of resolution, and with good reason. The EU, in contrast, wishes to carry on pursuing the aims of the Kyoto Agreement and in this way put pressure on the USA. The EU has taken a stronger initiative in this matter than the Norwegian government. We suspect that Mr Stoltenberg is using the USA as an excuse to slither out of Norway’s international obligations to limit the country’s greenhouse emissions. In this way it will be easier to build the gas-fired power stations in which the Government has invested so much of its prestige. Norway should join forces with the EU and build a strong alliance against the USA and its negligence of the environment. In this way we can reduce emissions and halt the greenhouse effect.