– I’m sorry. Especially on behalf of those who in the old days really made sure that Obos delivered what they promised, says ex-mayor and Obos member Fabian Stang to Børsen.
He is one of many who now express great dissatisfaction with the way Obos operates. The company’s stated goal is to build homes for its members, and to provide them with benefits they cannot get on their own.
In a feature on Dagsrevyen Thursday night, the company got its ears fluttering. Obos member and lawyer Tone Hoffman is among those who state that she has lost confidence in the housing giant.
– It is about a housing construction team that is no longer there for its members, Hoffman said to Dagsrevyen on Thursday.
According to NRK, the uprising started when they mentioned that Obos had sold an apartment block to a rental company rather than to its own members. Dissatisfaction has since grown, and most recently relates to the annual general meeting which takes place in June.
Takes drastic action after sales nightmare
Now the power of ordinary members risks being squeezed out by Obos employees and top managers in the organization. According to NRK, Obos has mobilized its employees ahead of the general meeting – where a number of important issues will be voted on.
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– Very serious
Following the call from the top team in the group, Obos employees can in principle form a majority during the summit. This could mean bad news for “ordinary” members, who have further described it all as “a coup”.
Obos should have the law on his side. However, Fabian Stang is crystal clear:
– It is an attempt to block the regular member. This is to compare ourselves with states we do not like to compare ourselves with. What the Obos leadership has done now cannot be seen as anything other than weakening democracy in the organization. It’s very serious.
– What many are amazed at is where it has become of the company’s original soul.
– Is the management aware of its own responsibility?
– No, I think that what we saw on Dagsrevyen yesterday is an attempt to manipulate the general meeting. It is a very unfortunate approach, says Stang.
Obos has been presented with the criticism, but has not responded to Børsen’s inquiries.
“Profit hunting”
In the last two years, Obos has been in several storms. Børsen has, among other things, mentioned the company’s prestigious project – Middelthunet at Majorstuen – with a penthouse priced at a staggering 97 million kroner. The object received massive criticism from several quarters.
After being in the market for a long time without being sold, the apartment was divided into two residential units a few months ago. As far as Børsen is aware, none of the objects have been sold so far.
Radbrekker Obos
Critical voices believe that Obos is moving in the direction of a for-profit commercial player. In 2020, the company achieved a profit before tax of NOK 3.2 billion, compared with NOK 3.7 billion the year before. 2020 was the best year for new home sales since 2016.
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– I have talked to many other members and what is repeated is: «What are these guys doing? Who do they think they are? ‘
– What do you think Obos should do now?
– Obos must continue to build and build good, affordable housing. But do not be so gradual in the market that there is no room for good competitors. If you also have three billion in profit, and do not want to give anything back to the members, you could perhaps use some of it on the architecture, says Stang.
Years of quarrel
It is far from the first time Fabian Stang goes hard against Obos. In 2018 he murmured against the construction of the aforementioned prestige project at Majorstuen, which he thought was a total failure.
As recently as March this year, he again went hard against Obos in a debate post in Avisa Oslo. There he asked if Obos had “gone from the socially regulated, to becoming Oslo’s biggest housing profiteer, without owners who can control them?”.
Obos replied by characterizing Stang’s statements as “ignorant”.
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