When Susanne Mortensen from Tromsø was 19 years old, she made the choice to become a fisherman. Today she is 24 years old and can safely say that she has very mixed feelings about the choice of profession.
– As a woman in the fishing industry, you feel quite alone. It did not take long before I realized that it was socially accepted to call women “whores” and “fitters” in the environment, says Susanne to Dagbladet’s financial website Børsen.
Susanne says that she herself has had such insults thrown at her since she started working as a fisherman five years ago.
She believes that the problem is not just about those who call her so much ugly, but that “everyone” accepts that one does so.
– Nobody says anything
– There are many times superiors and colleagues have said ugly things to me, and many have just stood and watched. No one has said “Hello! That is not good to say », and it makes you feel incredibly alone.
Norway opened: Hans-Olav left
The 24-year-old claims that she has tried to take the problems quite high up in the system.
Advertiser Content
–
Even IT experts can be fooled
–
– I have reported to shipping companies and unions, but things have not changed. There are tall men, with high positions and a lot of money, who try to sweep exclamations like mine under the rug. As fast as they can.
Susanne has previously written a column in NRK where she takes a hard line against the male-dominated industry. After appearing in the media, and telling about the treatment she has received, she claims that a few of her former colleagues have called her and apologized.
– Yes, there are a few who have called and said that they are sorry for the way they treated me, or let others treat me.
SHOWS MUSCLES: Susanne decided not to give up as a fisherman, after one year away from the profession. Photo: Private
view more
Stopped – back again
After several years in the industry, Susanne decided to try to do something else, as she could not take the heat anymore.
– When the pandemic broke out in 2020, I quit fishing. I wanted to find something else to do, and became a Cuban farmer. But it did not take more than a year before I returned as a fisherman, I love working with this.
– Was it a difficult choice to make – to return to the fishing community?
– Both yes and no. There was a little fuck in me, who said they should not win. So now I’m back, says Susanne over the phone, on her way to work.
EXCUSES: Susanne says that a few people have called her to apologize for her behavior towards her, after she went out to the media and talked about her situation. Photo: Private
view more
She further says that she fears the spotlight on women and equality in the fishing environment may be lost, if not properly addressed.
– It may be something that is looked at now, but suddenly this is forgotten, and everything continues as “normal”. I really hope it does not happen.
Fiskarlaget: – Very serious
Leader of the Fiskarlaget Kjell Ingebrigtsen, Dagbladet says that they take the conditions Susanne describes about the industry to the media very seriously.
– Her story of harassment shows that we in the fishing industry still have a long way to go, and that unacceptable actions and attitudes have not been followed up in a proper way. No one should have to take such loads as she has done. Bullying and harassment should not be accepted, neither in the fishing industry nor elsewhere in working life, says Ingebrigtsen to Dagbladet.
He says that they all have a responsibility to reprimand and stand up for each other.
– At the same time, with leading positions, we must be aware of our responsibility and clearly mark that we can not accept such rude and cross-border behavior.
– How to prevent this from happening in the future?
– It is probably about more things, a change of attitude and a sharp increase in awareness among shipowners and skippers will be necessary. There is probably also a need for better reporting routines in the industry, and there may be a possibility that this is taken into account much more clearly in the training. This is something we obviously need to work on even more thoroughly in the future.
view more
–
– These are responsible
Ingebrigtsen makes it clear that the responsibility for changing attitudes in the fishing industry lies with the management of shipping companies and skippers on boats, but also with the individual fisherman.
In addition to this, Ingebrigtsen believes that the organizations in the industry must take the lead, and that includes both the employers ‘and employees’ organizations.
– Have you received many complaints / notifications from women about similar incidents to Fiskarlaget?
– The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has to a very small extent received complaints or notifications from female fishermen about similar incidents.
– How many women are members of you?
– The proportion of women among Norwegian fishermen is almost four percent, and the proportion is about the same among our members.
Small planes crashed in residential area
– Not durable
– She says she has reported harassment in the workplace to Fiskarlaget, is that correct?
– We are not aware that Mortensen has raised this directly with Fiskarlaget before, but if it is the case that Mortensen, or any other fishermen, have contacted Fiskarlaget and we have not followed up these inquiries in a proper manner, then it is obviously not durable, says Ingebrigtsen.
He says that Fiskarlaget is now working on new routines to report in a safe way.
From the Fiskarlaget’s side, our general secretary had a meeting with Mortensen and her union last week, and received several specific suggestions that we are now in the process of following up.
Talking about hatred
– Unacceptable
Dagbladet has informed the recently resigned Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (H) about Susanne’s situation and what she has gone through in her working life. He reacts strongly.
– It is completely unacceptable that Susanne should experience such attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. These are attitudes we must come to life, and I want to praise Susanne for addressing this important topic, says Ingebrigtsen to Dagbladet.
– Who has to make changes so that one day Susanne will not have to be provoked in this way?
– We all have a responsibility to bring such attitudes to life, and it is something each individual must take seriously to contribute to a good and safe working environment. But there is also an extra heavy responsibility on managers on board a fishing boat, in the same way as in any other company. I would strongly encourage the industry to work with attitudes at all levels, and to recruit more women into the fisheries, trade unions and fish sales teams.
– Do not accept it
Ingebrigtsen makes it clear that one should not accept such behavior, regardless of whether it is the culture in the workplace, or whether it concerns individuals.
– We must encourage the organizations to create attitudes, and in particular aim at the supervisors and remind them of their responsibility for the environment in the workplace.
CLEAR SPEECH: The recently resigned Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen tells Dagbladet what he thinks about Susanne’s situation as a fisherman. Pictured here from a press conference on the status of free trade negotiations with the United Kingdom. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB
view more
Ingebrigtsen further explains that the Ministry of Trade and Industry presented a strategy in August for better equality in the fisheries.
– Our strategy is to contribute to increased recruitment of women and to identify and remove obstacles, so that women and men have equal opportunities to establish themselves in the profession.
