The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association – clear, strong and visible is our new action programme for 2018 to 2021.
The action programme contains our vision, overriding goals and values.
The programme is divided into four areas:
Political influence
Economy and the labour market
A secure old age
Activity and participation
Annual activity plans will be drawn up in addition to the action programme. The activity plans will serve as a guide for which cases the association will work on over the next year at the local, county and national level.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association’s vision is:
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association – clear, strong and visible
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association’s values are:
Inclusion, co-determination and influence
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association shall be an open and secure organisation for all its members. We build on the values of equality and respect in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Our members are our strength and the foundation on which the organisation is built. We promote an inclusive society and engage in inclusive policy.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association defends democracy as a system of government. Democracy only works when the whole population is represented and feels included. Co-determination means that we have the opportunity to influence decisions that affect our lives. User participation through participation committees is an important democratic principle. Senior citizens' councils help elected bodies to make better decisions and are important to democracy. It is the Norwegian Pensioners’ Association’s remit to actively exercise political influence on behalf of the elderly in Norway.
The tripartite collaboration between the employer organisations, unions and the Norwegian state have produced important social reforms. The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association aims to become the fifth union confederation with bargaining rights. We will be heard and exert influence at the local and county/regional level through the senior citizens' councils.
Strengthen and highlight the Norwegian Pensioners’ Association as a dynamic social actor on behalf of Norway’s senior citizens and people on disability benefits.
This will be achieved by:
• Working for a single strong and joint organisation for senior citizens in Norway that, through cooperation with alliance partners such as trade unions, interest organisations etc., focuses on cases and exercises a policy that influences the future • Increasing the number of members, which will in turn increase our influence • Developing stronger and closer cooperation throughout the organisation
• Bargaining rights
• The fifth union confederation and tripartite collaboration
• A national ombudsman for the elderly
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association aims to increase the political influence of the elderly. We demand bargaining rights within the limits agreed on by the leading sector in collective pay negotiations. We also want social security settlements to be considered by the Storting.
We will take our place in the social debate as a visible actor on behalf of senior citizens in Norway. And we will work to ensure the elderly are represented and can exert proportional influence in democratic bodies, in councils and on committees, as participation representatives and as individuals with unique insight into their own lives. The influence of the senior citizens' councils must be increased.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association demands and will work towards:
• Bargaining rights for the old-age pension in the National Insurance scheme
• Being a party to the tripartite collaboration between the employer organisations, unions and the Norwegian state and becoming the fifth union confederation
• A national ombudsman for the elderly
• Senior citizens' councils being involved in all cases concerning the elderly’s living conditions at an early stage, and having sufficient resources to attend to these tasks
• Senior citizens' councils having the right to attend and speak at municipal council meetings
• Active endeavours being made in relation to regions/counties and municipalities to formalise cooperation in the form of public health partnership agreements
• Participation committees being established for nursing homes and home-based services
• Joint recruitment efforts to increase the number of members
• Developing the organisation and training representatives
• International influence through the Nordic Committee for Co-operation and AGE
• Increasing the minimum pension for single old-age pensioners receiving the minimum pension
• Discontinuing under-regulation of pensions
• A place in the Technical Calculation Committee, TBU
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association wants the National Insurance scheme to remain the cornerstone of our pension system. The pension system must build on broad schemes that encompass everyone. Individual pension saving should not replace good collective schemes.
Pension in payment should be regulated in step with wage growth. In order to ensure a sustainable pension scheme, pensions must be determined through bargaining. All social security settlements must be adopted by the Storting.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association demands and will work towards:
• Increasing the minimum pension for single old-age pensioners receiving the minimum pension
• Discontinuing under-regulation of pensions
• A place in the Technical Calculation Committee, TBU
• Improving the private contractual early-retirement pension scheme (AFP) so that fewer people lose rights
• Better regulation of paid-up policies
• Workers over the age of 67 being entitled to sick pay during periods of illness without a time limit
• Ensuring the longevity adjustment of pension benefits is changed – the current scheme is unfair
• Retaining the surviving spouse's pension scheme
• Ensuring the same minimum standard deduction for pay and pension
• Increasing NAV’s funeral grant and ensuring that more people are entitled to receive a grant under the scheme
• Making calls to public agencies free
• Evening out the cost of network charges for electricity, regardless of where you live in Norway
• Public benefits being financed through progressive taxation and the use of consumption tax being limited
• Pensions being paid on the 12th of each month
• More targeted senior policies and no age discrimination in the labour market
• Tax deductions for membership fees
• More accessible banking services for people who do not use online banking
• Municipalities being able to issue monthly invoices for municipal taxes
• An independent NAV ombudsman
• A Register for Governmental Approval of Financial Obligations (‘Robek list’) for municipalities that violate the quality requirements for care of the elderly
• Dental expenses must be included in the patient charge scheme
• Statutory right to health and care services for individual residents of nursing homes being subject to an administrative decision, in the same way as for residents of assisted living facilities with 24-hour care services
Elderly who seek health services are entitled to be treated with respect and receive the treatment their condition requires. Many elderly have a complex health situation, and need health services that understand how conditions are related. The elderly must not be discriminated against in the allocation of health services. With respect to the principle of equality in municipal health and care services, everyone must have the same right to services regardless of where the service recipient lives.
A secure old age also means being able to live at home as long as you wish, and getting a place in a nursing home or assisted living facility with 24-hour care services when your care needs increase. Being assured that you will receive the care you need when you need it is fundamental to everyone. Security also means the absence of perceived discrimination in encounters with the health service, the legal system or the public administration.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association demands and will work towards:
• A Register for Governmental Approval of Financial Obligations (‘Robek list’) for municipalities that violate the quality requirements for care of the elderly
• Dental expenses being included in the patient charge scheme
• Statutory health and care services for individual residents of nursing homes being subject to administrative decision, in the same way as for residents of assisted living facilities with 24-hour care services
• Municipalities that are responsible for the public dental health service also having a duty to provide information and treatment
• Municipalities having a statutory duty to operate health centres for the elderly
• Local hospitals being maintained and being allocated resources, tasks and expertise to ensure the distance to necessary hospital services is as short as possible
• The state having grant schemes in place that enable the municipalities to establish, maintain and run nursing home places and assisted living facilities with 24-hour care services for everyone who needs them
• Common regulations for payment for stays in institutions etc. being introduced for those living in a nursing home or in an assisted living facility
• A national staffing norm being introduced for nursing homes and home nursing care
• The government presenting a plan to ensure that there are enough qualified personnel to meet the need for services in the health and care sector
• Apprenticeship places in the health and care sector being made a priority
• The number of part-time employees being reduced in favour of full-time employees in the health and care sector
• Binding norms being devised for qualifications and staffing levels in care of the elderly
• The right to user-controlled personal assistance (BPA) not being subject to an age limit
• Age discriminating practices, e.g. in connection with taking out travel insurance also being discontinued
• Patients and residents in health care institutions and home-based care being offered at least four nutritious meals a day
• The municipalities being obliged to have access to expertise in geriatrics
• The consequences of the new Guardianship Act being assessed
• Ensuring common standards are in place for welfare technology, and assistive technology aids being distributed through assistive technology centres
• The regulatory framework on patient travel being revised, and the patient’s health being made the top priority
• Establishing protective services for the elderly (Vern for eldre) in all municipalities in order to prevent violence against and abuse of elderly
• The patient charge for health services being discontinued or significantly reduced
• The care ladder being actively used by the municipalities
• Everyone staying in nursing homes being entitled to a private room. The discount scheme for double rooms must be discontinued.
• The abolition of the age limit
• More digital training for the elderly
• Activity centres as meeting places in local communities
Age discrimination is illegal under the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act. Nonetheless, many elderly people are subject to age discrimination. There is also the issue of whether elderly people who are not digitally connected are subject to age discrimination when public services are only available in a digital format. It can be difficult to prove that age discrimination has taken place. The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association will work on increasing knowledge about age discrimination and be a driving force in the work to ensure compliance with the legislation. This applies in relation to the central government and municipal administration, and the organisations that provide services for the elderly.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association will work to achieve a society without age limits. Reasonable grounds must be provided where society deems it necessary to apply age limits. The upper age limits applied by society are random and arbitrary. Instead of adjusting the age limit, the Norwegian Pensioners’ Association believes it most expedient to remove the upper age limit in civil society. Age is not a condition.
The Norwegian Pensioners’ Association demands and will work towards:
• The abolition of the age limit
• More digital training for the elderly
• Activity centres as meeting places in local communities
• The upper age limit for serving as a lay judge being abolished
• The authorities helping to combat age discrimination
• Activity centres being established as meeting places across generations in local communities
• Increased allocations to and better coordination of voluntary activities
• An analogous minimum solution being available in instances where the main solution is digital
• All municipalities and districts establishing activity centres for the elderly
• A well-adapted public transport system and a generous adapted transport (TT) scheme
• The state taking steps to ensure more ambitious digital training
• Requirements for the renewal of driver’s licences being simplified
• Postal delivery at least five days a week all year