Erling Olsen (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Erling Olsen was a Norwegian
trade unionist.
He was a trade unionist before the war, a secretary in Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees
. He was also a member of Mot Dag
for some time.
From 1940 Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany
. Together with people like Håkon Meyer and Kåre Rein
he joined Fagopposisjonen av 1940
in 1940 and the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling in December 1940. Following the Milk strike
a more Nazi-friendly leadership was installed in the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
, with Odd Fossum
as leader, Erling Olsen as deputy leader and Kåre Rein as secretary. Olsen was even acting leader from 10 September 1941 to 31 December 1942.
In the autumn, Håkon Meyer was fired as leader of the mega-union Forbundet for offentlige yrker. Olsen was installed as leader, serving for a short time. He was then fired, formally for alcohol abuse and economic irregularities, but he had also criticized Just Lippestad and Odd Fossum
. In November 1942, Olsen had initiated his own campaign against "incompetence" in Nasjonal Samling, and posed the threat that if Lippestad did not remove incompetent elements, Olsen would make use of a ticket to London, claimed to be in his possession. Olsen tried to cooperate with Kåre Rein, who was of better standing, but Rein found Olsen and his supporters to "not hold water morally and character-wise". Olsen quarreled with Lippestad and Fossum during a study trip to Germany, and Fossum stripped him of the title as deputy leader of NS Faggruppeorganisasjon. Fossum even had Statspolitiet arrest Olsen, but he was released as Statspolitiet and Sikkerhetspolitiet found no grounds for incarceration.
In January 1943, Olsen was hired in a minor job in the Directorate of Labour (not to be confused with the later Directorate of Labour). He worked here in 1943 and from July 1944 to May 1945. He lost his position at the end of the war, but had since long faded into obscurity. During the legal purge in Norway after World War II
he was convicted of treason and in May 1946 sentenced to seven years of forced labour and confiscation of .
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
trade unionist.
He was a trade unionist before the war, a secretary in Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees
Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees
The Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees was a trade union in Norway, organized under the national Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.It was founded in 1920, and its chairman the first fifteen years was Gunnar Sethil.It had 240,000 members in 2000...
. He was also a member of Mot Dag
Mot Dag
Mot Dag was a Norwegian periodical and a communist organization with the same name.It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo ; partly from a Falk-led study circle which from 1919...
for some time.
From 1940 Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. Together with people like Håkon Meyer and Kåre Rein
Kåre Rein
Kåre Trygve Rein was a Norwegian trade unionist.He was a trade unionist before the war, a secretary in the Union of Employees in Commerce and Offices. He was also a member of the Norwegian Labour Party, but together with people like Håkon Meyer he joined Fagopposisjonen av 1940 in 1940 and the...
he joined Fagopposisjonen av 1940
Fagopposisjonen av 1940
Fagopposisjonen av 1940 was a grouping among Norwegian trade unionists in 1940, after the German invasion of Norway....
in 1940 and the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling in December 1940. Following the Milk strike
Milk strike
The milk strike was a strike in Nazi occupied Oslo on 8 and 9 September 1941. It led to strong reprisals from the German occupiers, in the form of martial law, court-martial, mass arrests, two executions and several long-term jail sentences.-Start:...
a more Nazi-friendly leadership was installed in the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions affiliated to the LO have more than 850,000 members of a Norwegian population of 4.8 million...
, with Odd Fossum
Odd Fossum
Odd Fossum was a Norwegian shop assistant, and leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions from 1941 to 1945, under Nazi regime during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. He was also the leader of NS Faggruppeorganisasjon from 12 October 1940 to September 1944, when he was...
as leader, Erling Olsen as deputy leader and Kåre Rein as secretary. Olsen was even acting leader from 10 September 1941 to 31 December 1942.
In the autumn, Håkon Meyer was fired as leader of the mega-union Forbundet for offentlige yrker. Olsen was installed as leader, serving for a short time. He was then fired, formally for alcohol abuse and economic irregularities, but he had also criticized Just Lippestad and Odd Fossum
Odd Fossum
Odd Fossum was a Norwegian shop assistant, and leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions from 1941 to 1945, under Nazi regime during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. He was also the leader of NS Faggruppeorganisasjon from 12 October 1940 to September 1944, when he was...
. In November 1942, Olsen had initiated his own campaign against "incompetence" in Nasjonal Samling, and posed the threat that if Lippestad did not remove incompetent elements, Olsen would make use of a ticket to London, claimed to be in his possession. Olsen tried to cooperate with Kåre Rein, who was of better standing, but Rein found Olsen and his supporters to "not hold water morally and character-wise". Olsen quarreled with Lippestad and Fossum during a study trip to Germany, and Fossum stripped him of the title as deputy leader of NS Faggruppeorganisasjon. Fossum even had Statspolitiet arrest Olsen, but he was released as Statspolitiet and Sikkerhetspolitiet found no grounds for incarceration.
In January 1943, Olsen was hired in a minor job in the Directorate of Labour (not to be confused with the later Directorate of Labour). He worked here in 1943 and from July 1944 to May 1945. He lost his position at the end of the war, but had since long faded into obscurity. During the legal purge in Norway after World War II
Legal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
he was convicted of treason and in May 1946 sentenced to seven years of forced labour and confiscation of .