Articles
General · 21st May 2008
Norway Supports Public Waterworks
Public Services International - www.world-psi.org
On 3rd April, the Norwegian Parliament passed a law to ensure that water and sanitation infrastructure be publicly owned for the indefinite future.
The French water company, Veolia, is clearly disappointed, and will not be able to invest in Norway as they have planned.
Fagforbundet, PSIs affiliate, and the biggest public sector union in Norway has welcomed the new legislation. The union considers that public ownership is vital to ensure good quality drinking water. “Veolia is not interested in quality. They are just going for the profit’’, said Stein Gulbrandsen, from the Division for Public Transport and Technical Staff (SST) in Fagforbundet.
Veolia has been campaigning in the Norwegian municipalities to gain support and to press local politicians to privatise the management of water and sanitation. Last Autumn, all mayors and leading administrators received a letter and an information newspaper, from Veolia about the benefits the company could offer.
“We only gave them information about public-private solutions,” a representative from Veolia explained. However, the company has been lobbying hard in advance of the vote in Parliament, and have made public their view that compulsory public ownership will ensure neither quality nor control.
Fagforbundet will pushing for substantial investments when the next budget is drawn up. “Private investors might have been able to do the upgrading faster, but that’s not the question here. Water and sanitation are not for sale. The people of Norway do not want to pay multinational companies to make a profit so they can enjoy good quality drinking water and sanitation in their homes”, said Stein Gulbrandsen.
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes
On 3rd April, the Norwegian Parliament passed a law to ensure that water and sanitation infrastructure be publicly owned for the indefinite future.
The French water company, Veolia, is clearly disappointed, and will not be able to invest in Norway as they have planned.
Fagforbundet, PSIs affiliate, and the biggest public sector union in Norway has welcomed the new legislation. The union considers that public ownership is vital to ensure good quality drinking water. “Veolia is not interested in quality. They are just going for the profit’’, said Stein Gulbrandsen, from the Division for Public Transport and Technical Staff (SST) in Fagforbundet.
Veolia has been campaigning in the Norwegian municipalities to gain support and to press local politicians to privatise the management of water and sanitation. Last Autumn, all mayors and leading administrators received a letter and an information newspaper, from Veolia about the benefits the company could offer.
“We only gave them information about public-private solutions,” a representative from Veolia explained. However, the company has been lobbying hard in advance of the vote in Parliament, and have made public their view that compulsory public ownership will ensure neither quality nor control.
Fagforbundet will pushing for substantial investments when the next budget is drawn up. “Private investors might have been able to do the upgrading faster, but that’s not the question here. Water and sanitation are not for sale. The people of Norway do not want to pay multinational companies to make a profit so they can enjoy good quality drinking water and sanitation in their homes”, said Stein Gulbrandsen.
NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes