Derfor streiker lokførerne: – Må vite at jeg får levert barna

Thorbjørn Stensrud, a train conductor, is leading a strike against Vy, a Norwegian public transport company, because he believes the new rules for shift planning will make it impossible for him to deliver his children to daycare. Stensrud's children are with him 50% of the time, so he often had to wake up at 5 AM to catch trains, only to find daycare open at 7 AM.

Vy refused to adjust his working hours, offering him only a reduced position which would result in a 27.5% pay cut. After almost three months of negotiations, Stensrud finally won his case and received the right to flexible working hours. However, the uncertainty of the shift planning caused him immense stress, causing sleepless nights and sick leave.

Stensrud's main concern in the strike is to have predictable and well-planned work hours, so he can reliably drop off his children at daycare and school. The NLF has stated that they are still considering the shift planning, but there are no plans to involve more workers in the strike for the next few days. The NLF's leader, Rolf Ringdal, confirms that unpredictability in shift planning is one of the reasons why train conductors have gone on strike.

Under the new arrangement, an automated system will determine the shift schedules instead of individual choice, which Ringdal believes will take away the option to choose working hours that suit their health, well-being, and family life. Ringdal argues that this new model will make it impossible for train conductors to know what they will be doing, where they will be working, or when they will have a break, leading to a lack of predictability in their workdays.