Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is campaigning on 1 May and started the day by promising strong growth in the social security settlement.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spends 1 May travelling around the fjord district, which Document has previously mentioned.

In his speech in Brumunddal, he showed that now in this election year the party intends to fight hard to win back voters, not least among the elderly. He stepped in with a fairly solid election promise to the old-age pensioners, NTB reports:

And we are regulating the pensions of our elders, which means that later in May – and mark this – we will see the biggest growth we have experienced in any social security settlement – at least in all the years I have been in politics, said Støre.

The Pensioners’ Association has demanded at least a 7 percent increase in the social security settlement. The question is whether Støre’s promise is in line with this, or whether it is more in line with other salary settlements of approx. 5 percent.

It has already been debated whether the wage settlement of just over 5 percent implies any real wage increase at all. So in order for the systematically under-regulated old-age pensions to give the insured a real wage increase this year, it should therefore be well over 5 per cent.

But that the state suddenly gives the elderly more than what was given in the salary settlement, not many people will believe until they see it.

The Mjøbygds are important

He started in Brumunddal and will later travel to Gjøvik, Lillehammer, Hamar and Tangen in Stange municipality.

When I wanted to come here, it is my expression of how important this part of the country is to our movement – and how important our movement has been to this part of the country, says the Prime Minister.

As last year, the Ukraine war was given a large place in the Prime Minister’s speech on Workers’ Day.

But the knock-on effects for Norwegians were also at the centre: energy crisis, rising prices and high interest rates and of the many struggling with the economic times.

The question we have to ask is how we can best meet this time. Is it by challenging Norwegian NATO membership and support for Ukraine’s self-defence? Is it by cutting welfare and financing tax cuts for those who already have the most? Is it through more hiring, temporary jobs and part-time working life? Our answer is no.

Then it was the prime minister’s turn to brag about what he believes the government has achieved, including within employment policy.

The upcoming election

The Prime Minister rounded off with a reminder to the audience about the upcoming local elections.