Norway
Background information on industrial relations in Norway
- 24 Dec 2003
Norway: Cooperation to combat substandard employment practices in building sector<#PDF_LINK>In November 2003, a working group - made up of representatives of the social partners and relevant authorities - set up to examine substandard employment and tax practices in the Norwegian building and construction sector published its report. The report describes what are seen to be dishonest practices among some companies and subcontractors in this industry, with some even exhibiting criminal behaviour. The report outlines possible measures to combat substandard practices.
- 17 Dec 2003
Norway: Trade union mergers in the pipeline<#PDF_LINK>A number of trade union mergers are under consideration in Norway. In November 2003, four trade unions affiliated to the Confederation of Vocational Unions (YS) gave their go-ahead to further moves towards a possible merger in 2004. Meanwhile, within the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), two mergers are under debate, involving a total of eight unions.
- 16 Dec 2003
Norway: Thematic feature - redundancies and redundancy costs<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the procedures and costs involved in collective redundancies in Norway, as well as current trends and debate in this area, as at November 2003.
- 09 Dec 2003
Norway: Budget compromise means withdrawal of temporary employment reform<#PDF_LINK>A state budget agreement for 2004 was signed on 15 November 2003 by Norway's centre-right coalition government and the opposition Labour Party. The government was forced to accept significant changes to its original budget proposal, and also to abandon a controversial proposal for a relaxation of the rules relating temporary employment.
- 01 Dec 2003
Norway: 'Inclusive working life' agreement prolonged despite failure to achieve objectives<#PDF_LINK>In November 2003, the Norwegian social partners and government met to review and discuss the agreement for an inclusive working lifethey concluded in 2001 with the aim of cutting sickness absence, improving the employment situation of people with disabilities and increasing the average actual retirement age. There was unanimous support for a continuation of the joint efforts, despite general recognition of a failure to achieve the desired objectives of the agreement.
- 13 Nov 2003
Norway: Controversial court ruling in ownership transfer case<#PDF_LINK>In October 2003, a district court in Norway made a controversial ruling in an ownership transfer case brought against the SAS airline by over 300 employees of its ground handling subsidiary, SGS. The case concerned the maintenance of the employment rights of these workers, who had previously been employed by the Braathens airline before its takeover by SAS.
- 03 Nov 2003
Norway: Unions walk out of public committee<#PDF_LINK>In October 2003, all four Norwegian trade union confederations walked out of a government-appointed committee considering changes to employment legislation. The decision came in response to a government proposal to relax the rules relating to temporary employment, made in connection with the 2004 state budget.
- 30 Oct 2003
Norway: Union demands transitional arrangements for free movement of workers from new EU Member States<#PDF_LINK>In October 2003, the Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet) - the largest trade union in the Norwegian private sector - called for the introduction of transitional arrangements in relation to the free movement of workers from the new Member States due to join the EU in 2004. The union is worried that employers will take advantage of foreign labour, and thus put pressure on pay and employment conditions in Norway.
- 22 Oct 2003
Norway: Thematic feature - works councils and other workplace employee representation and participation structures<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Norwegian situation, as of September 2003, with regard to works councils and similar workplace employee representation and participation structures. It looks at the regulatory framework, statistical data, evidence on practice and the views of the social partners.
- 08 Oct 2003
Norway: Service and transport sector unions examine merger<#PDF_LINK>In September 2003, six Norwegian trade unions issued a joint statement outlining their intention to examine a possible merger to create a single union for workers in the transport and service sectors. The proposed new union would have 130,000 members and be one of Norway's largest, but the merger process is likely to face many obstacles.
- 26 Sep 2003
Norway: Government to alter regional social security scheme under ESA pressure<#PDF_LINK>In August 2003, the Norwegian government announced plans to alter its regionally differentiated social security scheme in order to bring it into line with recommendations made by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA). The scheme is a regionally differentiated tax levied on employers for the use of employees, and represents an important regional policy measure in Norway, encouraging employment in the most disadvantaged regions.
- 12 Sep 2003
Norway: Thematic feature - implementation of the EU framework equal treatment Directive<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Norwegian situation, as of August 2003, with regard to the implementation and impact of the 2000 EU Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, which seeks to combat discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.
- 10 Sep 2003
Norway: Fewer people with disabilities in labour force<#PDF_LINK>Recently published statistics show a significant decline in the labour force participation rate of people with disabilities in Norway. Labour force participation among this group was 46.4% in the second quarter of 2003, compared with 49.5% in the same quarter of 2002. This fall has occurred despite recent measures to encourage the employment of people with disabilities.
- 22 Aug 2003
Norway: Government calls for 'father-friendly' changes to parental leave regulations<#PDF_LINK>In autumn 2003, the Norwegian parliament is due to consider government proposals for changes to the present regulations on parental leave, with greater financial incentives for men to take leave and a possible extension of the part of parental leave reserved exclusively for fathers. The main objective is to encourage men to spend more time at home with their children.
- 14 Aug 2003
Norway: Growth in sickness absence halted<#PDF_LINK>The sickness absence rate has been growing steadily in Norway for some years, but figures issued by Statistics Norway in summer 2003 show that this growth came to a halt in the year to the first quarter of 2003. Furthermore, recent sectoral statistics from the Federation of Norwegian Process Industries indicate that cooperative efforts launched by the government and social partners in 2001 to reduce sickness absence are now starting to take effect.
- 06 Aug 2003
Norway: Merger creates Norway's largest union<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, a new trade union, Fagforbundet, was established by a merger between the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees and the Norwegian Association of Health and Social Care Personnel. The new organisation is Norway’s largest union, with approximately 300,000 members.
- 22 Jul 2003
Norway: Thematic feature - posted workers<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Norwegian situation, as of June 2003, with regard to: legislation and collective bargaining on the pay and conditions of posted workers (ie workers from one EU Member State posted by their employer to work in another); the number of such posted workers; and the views of the social partners and government on the issue.
- 25 Jun 2003
Norway: Government proposes gender quotas on company boards<#PDF_LINK>In June 2003, the Norwegian government submitted a legislative proposal aimed at achieving 40% female representation on the boards of all public and (larger) private companies. The proposed law would apply to private companies only if they fail voluntarily to achieve an acceptable level of female board representation by 2005.
- 19 Jun 2003
Norway: YS joins international trade union bodies<#PDF_LINK>Over the course of 2002 and 2003, the Norwegian Confederation of Vocational Unions (YS), has joined a number of international trade union organisations at the Nordic, European, and global level. In May 2003, YS participated for the first time in the European Trade Union Confederation's statutory congress.
- 19 Jun 2003
Norway: Fewer days lost in disputes in 2002<#PDF_LINK>In 2002, some 150,000 working days were lost due to labour disputes in Norway - compared with around 500,000 in the last main bargaining round in 2002. The most extensive strike in 2002 hit the hotel and restaurant sector, while other significant disputes involved nurses, journalists and white-collar workers in manufacturing industry.
- 28 May 2003
Norway: Regulatory agencies to be moved out of Oslo<#PDF_LINK>In May 2003, the main parties in the Norwegian parliament reached an agreement on the relocation of eight state regulatory agencies away from the capital, Oslo, to other cities in Norway. The move means that 900 jobs will be lost in the Oslo area, and it has thus met with significant opposition from the trade unions concerned, as well as from politicians representing the capital.
- 07 May 2003
Norway: New agreements concluded in public sector and wholesale/retail trade<#PDF_LINK>New collective agreements were concluded in Norway in late April and early May 2003 for the wholesale and retail trade, the central state sector and the municipal sector. Groups in wholesale and retail with a low average wage were awarded wage increases, but no pay rises were agreed in the state and municipal sectors, where many workers will see their wages increase in 2003 due to agreements concluded in 2002.
- 29 Apr 2003
Norway: Important changes made to working time legislation<#PDF_LINK>Norway's legislation regarding the use of overtime work was liberalised in February 2003, while in April the Opening Hours Act, which regulates the opening hours of shops, was abolished. These two major changes to working time legislation have proved controversial among trade unions.
- 28 Apr 2003
Norway: New municipal trade union links future LO affiliation to dispute over members<#PDF_LINK>In March 2003, it became known that a planned new Norwegian municipal sector trade union, which should come into being in June 2003 following the merger of the NKF and NHS unions, will most probably affiliate to the LO confederation. However, the new union will consider leaving LO if the confederation does not meet the former's demands to retain in membership the employees of municipal enterprises which are privatised or deregulated.
- 09 Apr 2003
Norway: Private sector wage settlement concluded<#PDF_LINK>In April 2003, the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry (NHO) reached collective agreements on pay with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and Confederation of Vocational Unions (YS), covering large parts of the private sector. No general centrally agreed increases have been awarded for 2003 - though company-level negotiations will take place as normal - but groups with a low average wage will receive an hourly increase of between NOK 1.95 and NOK 2.85.
- 31 Mar 2003
Norway: Top management salaries rose 5.4% in 2002<#PDF_LINK>The pay of senior managers in Norwegian companies rose by an average of 5.4% in 2002, similar to the wage growth experienced by other workers. Moderate management salary growth is an intrinsic part of the cooperation on incomes policy agreed between the social partners in connection with the 2003 pay bargaining round. The social partners have thus expressed satisfaction with the 2002 figures.
- 26 Mar 2003
Norway: 2002 Annual Review for Norway<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews 2002's main developments in industrial relations in Norway.
- 07 Mar 2003
Norway: Cooperation on incomes policy agreed prior to 2003 settlement<#PDF_LINK>In January 2003, the Norwegian social partners issued a joint statement emphasising the need to bring the wage growth rate into line with developments among Norway’s main trading partners. The partners thus aim to achieve only moderate wage increases in the spring 2003 wage settlements, and to allow the sectors exposed to international competition to establish the framework for wage negotiations in other sectors.
- 06 Mar 2003
Norway: Wages rose by 5.5% in 2002<#PDF_LINK>Wages in Norway rose on average by 5.5% from 2001 to 2002, according to figures issued in February 2003 by the Technical Calculating Committee on Incomes Settlements. Further increases in the wage growth rate are not expected in 2003.
- 11 Feb 2003
Norway: EFTA Court prohibits affirmative action practices<#PDF_LINK>In January 2003, the EFTA Court ruled that the practice of reserving some academic positions exclusively for women at Norwegian universities is unlawful according to Norway’s obligations under the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement.
- 11 Feb 2003
Norway: Municipal authorities will bargain with teachers<#PDF_LINK>The Norwegian government decided in January 2003 to transfer collective bargaining responsibility in respect of teachers from the central state to the municipal/county authorities, which are already the teachers' employers. Teachers’ trade unions have strongly criticised the decision.
- 31 Jan 2003
Norway: Immigrants face low earnings<#PDF_LINK>Research published in late 2002 finds thatnon-westernimmigrants (ie those from outside Europe and North America) in Norway earn considerably less thannative-bornemployees. Although the income gap narrows over time, the income of some groups of immigrants, in particular those from Asia, remains 25% lower than that of indigenous employees.
- 29 Jan 2003
Norway: Companies sign up to agreement on 'inclusive working life'<#PDF_LINK>In October 2001, the Norwegian government and social partners signed an agreement on aninclusive working life, whose aims include a 20% reduction in the sickness absence rate. The accord includes a scheme whereby companies conclude agreements with the social insurance authorities, committing themselves to monitoring closely employees on sick leave and to making adjustments to the workplace for older or disabled employees. By the end of 2002, such agreements covered around a quarter of Norwegian employees. However, despite these efforts the sickness absence rate continued to rise throughout 2002.
- 20 Jan 2003
Norway: Committee makes recommendations on implementation of EU equal treatment Directive<#PDF_LINK>In December 2002, a public committee delivered its recommendations for the implementation in Norway of the 2000 EU Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation. The main change involved is the introduction of a ban on discrimination on grounds of age.
- 07 Jan 2003
Norway: Towards closing the gender wage gap in Europe?<#PDF_LINK>In November 2002, the report of a European project entitledTowards a closing of the gender wage gapwas presented at a conference held in Norway. The objective of the project is to examine the gender pay gap in a broad perspective, against the backdrop of wage formation and pay systems, and to identify the most efficient tools with which to close the gap. We highlight the report's main findings.
- 07 Jan 2003
Norway: Unemployment rises<#PDF_LINK>Following a long period of low unemployment in Norway, the number of people out of work started growing in late 2002, and the unemployment rate is expected to have risen from 3.6% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2002, and is predicted to hit 5% in 2004. The main reasons are low growth in the world economy and a decline in the competitiveness of Norwegian industry. The rising unemployment has contributed to renewed debate on incomes policy and interest rates.