Frustrated Reporter Quits After Slow News Day 178
Norwegian radio journalist Pia Beathe Pedersen quit on the air complaining that her bosses were making her read news on a day when "nothing important has happened." Pedersen claimed that broadcaster NRK put too much pressure on the staff and that she "wanted to be able to eat properly again and be able to breathe," during her nearly two-minute on-air resignation.
Jeez, use article with pic at least (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1311208/Here-news-I-quit-Norwegian-radio-reporter-walks-minute-rant-air.html?ito=feeds-newsxml [dailymail.co.uk]
cute.
Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family (Score:2, Informative)
Funemployment!
Re:Not as clear cut as that (Score:5, Informative)
She's pretty much unemployable. She used national radio without permission to vent her frustration with the leadership. Any future prospective employer will keep that track record in mind -- how do they know she won't do similar when employed for them?
Anyhow, yes, the Norwegian Broadcorping Castration needs to change things -- having more than a third of your permanent work force hired as "temps" and "interns" isn't kosher (or whatever the Norwegian term is -- lutefisk?). But that doesn't make this lady's actions any more palatable; she abused her position and used a publicly funded service for her own purpose.
As I understand it, her resignation was not legal because public radio broadcast isn't a valid way to deliver one's resignation. So she was fired with prejudice. If I understand this correctly, Norway has two levels of firing someone -- "oppsigelse", which is a regular dismissal, and "avskjed", a "dismissal with prejudice" which can only be done if an employee actively and willfully harms a company. In the latter, the dismissed person loses all termination rights, including leave of notice, termination pay, accrued holidays and private pensions, but the company has to be able to back up the decision in court. Which they undoubtedly can here, as she presented the evidence over the air.
Re:Not as clear cut as that (Score:3, Informative)
Here is a question for you?
How many hours do they expect you to work?
How much vacation time?
How much sick time?
And if they have been doing this for a while why do people keep working their if it so bad?
I don't really know all the numbers and right now I am too lazy to look it up, but here is the gist of it:
You are expected to to work when they decide they need you, Night and day.
An ordinary work week is 37,5 hrs a week[1] (by law, yay Norway), but jurnos and tv/radio people are by and large exempt from that. That is, your employer can make you work more, YMMV.
The pay is good even for temps. Overtime is well paid, but the rules are convoluted and the forms are kinda complicated to fill in correctly[2].
Vacation and sick time is the same as everyone with a job in Norway has.
But the real issue is that IF you can get a job with NRK you are pretty much set, they pay really well, have excellent benefits, pension plans etc.. AND you get to work for the most respected broadcaster in Norway.
NRK knows this and uses the fact to use or even abuse the temp system for all it is worth, and very few complains in fear of not landing a regular job with the broadcaster.
-RG
[1] I think.. Someone correct me if wrong.
[2] I have only worked there as a contractor (in IT - implementing some SGI servers) years ago, and back then the paperwork was staggering, even for me..
Re:Audio with translation (Score:4, Informative)
That's actually a very good translation!
The key message she had was that she was sick & tired of the way NRK have been abusing their temp worker setup:
Call them in with very short notice, at any time of day or night, for the maximum time period allowed before a temp worker automatically gains full employment (i.e. 4 years), then fire them.
Terje
(from Oslo, Norway)