Konfronterte arbeidsministeren: – Dere har et stort ansvar

Arbeidsminister Kjersti Stenseng acknowledged that some remarks during the debate may have been perceived as placing blame and shame on individuals who are outside the workforce. Stenseng invited Marthe Sandven Richardsen to the Prime Minister's office after Richardsen criticized politicians for contributing to the burden faced by those outside the labor market. Richardsen expressed that she feels a great responsibility to help prevent the debate from contributing to stigmatization and shame.

Stenseng emphasized the need to discuss the problems surrounding sickness absence and how to solve them. She highlighted that being employed can be beneficial for people's health. However, she also acknowledged that sometimes people cannot work and should have security in income and well-being, without feeling ashamed for it. Richardsen brought up her experience of receiving conflicting and unclear messages from Nav (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), which caused her to be without income for weeks.

She stressed the importance of clear and understandable communication from public institutions like Nav.

Both Stenseng and Richardsen agreed that the language used by politicians needs to be refined to avoid stigmatizing individuals. Stenseng expressed her intent to talk openly about the challenges and potential solutions for the system, without any blame being placed on individuals. She is hopeful that the debate will become more nuanced and that politicians will be more conscious of their language.