Between high mountains and deep fjords in the north of Vestland county, there are around 4,000 Norwegians who live in Høyanger municipality – and a mayor with well over a million in salary.
Nettavisen has been given access to the salary information of the municipal leaders. Here it emerges that mayor Petter Sortland (Ap) has an annual salary of 1,168,200. His municipal director, Ørjan Haram, has 1,280,000 a year.
– There is only one thing to say about it, says Einar Ove Rysjedal, who represents Rødt in the municipal council, to Nettavisen:
– It is a terrible problem. The more the rich earn, the less is distributed to the groups that should have been lifted, says Rysjedal.
He asks mayor Sortland to freeze his salary, and to give more pay to employees in the health and care sector, schools and kindergartens.
– Those on the floor are too poorly paid. There are many examples in Høyanger of trained teachers and nurses who quit the profession and disappear into senior positions. It helps to undermine what we have of the welfare state in the country, and is part of social development where class differences increase.
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– Those who have so much must say that “now we have so we can manage”.
Nor is SV Høyanger particularly enthusiastic about the mayor’s salary.
– High salaries should not be the motivation for taking this type of position and office, and too high salaries for mayors and municipal directors can lead to less trust in the political system and democracy. It will be very unfortunate, writes SV’s only representative in the municipal council, Tanja Strandheim, in an SMS to Nettavisen.
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SV adopted higher wages
But SV itself voted in favor of the law that determines the salary. And it may indicate that the party has even voted for Sortland to have an even higher salary than he has today.
– With all due respect, SV has slept through the hour here, says mayor Petter Sortland to Nettavisen.
In the municipality’s regulations on elected representatives’ working conditions, which were adopted by a joint municipal council with the exception of Rødt’s three representatives, it is decided that the mayor’s salary must follow the councillor’s salary.
– But then on my own initiative, contrary to the current decision, I have frozen my salary, and I do not foresee any salary increase in 2023, says Sortland.
Because a high salary – he has that, admits Sortland.
– Compared to other mayors, I certainly have a high salary. And I have taken those signals, and have taken the initiative to freeze the salary. Within a couple of years, it could be on average, he says.
Earn more than the representatives of the Storting
The gap between the salaries of Norwegian mayors is large, but the average mayor’s salary in Norway was NOK 915,202 in 2020, according to NTB.
For comparison, Norwegian parliamentary representatives in 2023 will receive 1,064,318 a year, the president of the Storting and the prime minister will receive 1,869,761 and the ministers 1,518,999.
However, the mayor does not agree that the municipal director’s salary is too high.
– The municipal director earns well, and is not the salary leader. They are in a different market. These must be recruited and retained, and have competence and experience that is sought after not only in the public sector, but in the private sector, he says, adding that the director has great responsibility and work pressure.
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