Olaf Sunde
Encyclopedia
Olaf Sunde was a Norwegian
lawyer
and workers' rights
activist.
in 1915. His family moved from Holsnøy
to Oslo
in 1930. During World War II
, Sunde was a leader of a local group of Milorg
, the Norwegian armed resistance against the Nazi occupation
. Sunde was present at Akershus Fortress
in Oslo on May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated and formally handed the fortress over to Milorg. The Norwegian flag was raised for the first time since 1940, and Norway was a free and sovereign nation again.
(LO), where he headed their legal department. He represented workers and opposed employers in many groundbreaking court cases. The author Jostein Nyhamar writes, "No other labour movement issue caused so much prolonged and heated debate in the press as the issue of collective insurance," an issue with which Sunde was heavily involved.
Sunde was admitted to the bar at the Supreme Court of Norway
. There, he was in contact with Johan Bernhard Hjort, a one-time founder (with Vidkun Quisling
) of Nasjonal Samling, which fronted the puppet government under the Nazi occupation. Hjort had left Nasjonal Samling, but the tension between Sunde and Hjort was noticeable.
subsidiary based in Geneva
. He was the workers' representative on the ILC Credentials Committee for six sessions.
An interpreter to the Norwegian delegation to the ILO International Labour Conference, Mirjam Nordahl, states that Sunde was part of the Norwegian delegation to this lawmaking body in the 1960s and 1970s and that he was later employed by the International Labour Office, the permanent executive branch of the ILO.
in 1981. He had been a heavy smoker, smoking an average of 60 cigarettes a day.
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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and workers' rights
Labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of legal rights and claimed human rights having to do with labor relations between workers and their employers, usually obtained under labor and employment law. In general, these rights' debates have to do with negotiating workers' pay, benefits, and safe...
activist.
Early life
Sunde was born in BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in 1915. His family moved from Holsnøy
Sunde, Holsnøy, Hordaland
Sunde is a name for the sound in Radfjord, Meland municipality, Hordaland, just north of Bergen, Norway, between Holsnøy and Radøy, where the island Bogno is found.-See also:*Olaf Sunde, Norwegian lawyer...
to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1930. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Sunde was a leader of a local group of Milorg
Milorg
Milorg was the main Norwegian resistance movement in World War II....
, the Norwegian armed resistance against the Nazi occupation
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...
. Sunde was present at Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison.- Construction :...
in Oslo on May 8, 1945, when Germany capitulated and formally handed the fortress over to Milorg. The Norwegian flag was raised for the first time since 1940, and Norway was a free and sovereign nation again.
Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
After the war, Sunde worked as a lawyer for the Norwegian Confederation of Trade UnionsNorwegian 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...
(LO), where he headed their legal department. He represented workers and opposed employers in many groundbreaking court cases. The author Jostein Nyhamar writes, "No other labour movement issue caused so much prolonged and heated debate in the press as the issue of collective insurance," an issue with which Sunde was heavily involved.
Sunde was admitted to the bar at the Supreme Court of Norway
Supreme Court of Norway
The Supreme Court of Norway was established in 1815 on the basis of the Constitution of Norway's §88, prescribing an independent judiciary. It is located in Oslo and is Norway's highest court...
. There, he was in contact with Johan Bernhard Hjort, a one-time founder (with Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
) of Nasjonal Samling, which fronted the puppet government under the Nazi occupation. Hjort had left Nasjonal Samling, but the tension between Sunde and Hjort was noticeable.
ILO years
Sunde was later Norwegian legal counsel at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
subsidiary based in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He was the workers' representative on the ILC Credentials Committee for six sessions.
An interpreter to the Norwegian delegation to the ILO International Labour Conference, Mirjam Nordahl, states that Sunde was part of the Norwegian delegation to this lawmaking body in the 1960s and 1970s and that he was later employed by the International Labour Office, the permanent executive branch of the ILO.
Later life
Sunde was a partner with his brother in the Sunde law firm until his death from lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1981. He had been a heavy smoker, smoking an average of 60 cigarettes a day.