– There is a lot of dissatisfaction in the Customs Service now, and the situation is critical. I have not experienced anything close to this in my 26 years in the agency.
This is how the leader of the Norwegian Customs Association, Karin Tanderø Schaug, sums up the condition of her own workplace. The leader of the Customs union says that in 2021 alone she has seen dozens of customs officers disappear from work.
Now she is sounding the alarm about what she predicts will be even worse in the years to come.
– Our challenge more than anything else is that many young people in operational service leave and we have a high average age. It is critical already now, and will get even worse over the next couple of years, says Schaug.
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– No one is shielded
This autumn, the first students started the brand new bachelor’s program in Stavanger to become customs officers. The three-year education course then replaced the previously paid study as a customs aspirant.
But the union leader believes the reorganization and the number of study places is far from what is needed to compensate for employees who leave the Customs. She paints a very critical picture of the situation it entails along the Swedish border.
– The first bachelor students will have completed their education in 2024, and we do not have that time. There are 45 places in the study, if we are lucky we will get maybe 20 people from there in three years. In the meantime, we risk losing up to 200 due to retirement or that they resign themselves. Then we are talking about enormous challenges along the entire border, from south to north. At both large and small customs offices. No one is shielded. Not even Svinesund or Gardermoen, says Schaug.
CONCERNED: Karin Tanderø Schaug is very concerned about the development at the Customs. Photo: Norwegian Customs Association
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– Risk sports
In addition to too low recruitment, the new education has, according to Schaug, led to employees now asking questions about the new bachelor education. According to the union leader, they wonder if the change will lead to today’s customs officers being outcompeted by future bachelor students when it comes to positions and career opportunities.
But the union leader’s concerns about his own workplace do not stop there. During the pandemic, an extensive reorganization has taken place at the Norwegian Customs. A change Schaug perceives as a shift of resources in the wrong direction.
Customs: – It has exploded
– Like many other companies, the pandemic was demanding. This has consequences and more customs officers are looking for other jobs. It is frustrating that we experience little willingness to keep customs officers who get new jobs, at the same time as there is an increasing addition of employees in staff roles or other office jobs, she says to Dagbladet, and adds:
– The situation as it stands now is risky sports and we are constantly calling for measures from the employer. We experience that they start to wake up, but it is too late. The seniors are bored and feel little valued, while the young people leave due to low salaries and few career opportunities. I want to shout “what did we say?”, But now we must try to solve this together.
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Understanding, but completely wrong
Customs Director Øystein Børmer is not surprised by the dissatisfaction and unrest that is brewing among the employees. He explains that almost all employees are affected by what he describes as major changes at the Customs.
– Almost all our employees have been reorganized in recent years, partly as a result of us investing resources in new tasks such as analysis and development of new tools. It is natural that it causes unrest internally, and I understand the employees, says Børmer.
At the same time, he emphasizes that there is a complex picture behind the changes. An annual increase of several percent in both the flow of goods and travelers crossing the border puts the resources of the agency to the test.
CONFIRMS: Customs Director Øystein Børmer confirms that there is a decrease in customs officers, but rejects that it is due to staffing in the office. Photo: Bård Gudim / Customs
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He confirms that despite this, there is a real decline in customs officers, but denies that positions at the border are being cut at the expense of what Schaug describes as staff and office staff.
– In my eyes, it is completely wrong to present this as a growth in office staff at the expense of customs officers. We are looking for and developing new ways to solve our assignment, including with employees who work elsewhere than at the border. The operating framework is under pressure, but it also affects the agency in other areas. We need new employee groups, at the same time as we have challenges in getting new customs officers, says the Director of Customs.
– What do you think is needed for the staffing situation to be satisfactory?
– There is a multiple answer to that. But we must complete the restructuring we are working on, then the new education must be in place and graduates be ready for work. In addition, over time, it must be ensured that we have a balance between tasks, ambitions and resources, says Bømer.
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