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WORKING IN NORWAY

TELL US: What do you wish you knew before you moved to Norway?

Moving to another country can be a life-changing and rewarding experience, although there are usually a few bumps along the way. We'd love to hear your thoughts on what you wish you knew before making the move to Norway.

Published: 20 January 2022 15:35 CET
Updated: 27 January 2022 09:52 CET
Pictured is the Norwegian flag.
Tell us about the things you wish you knew before moving to Norway. Pictured are people watching the sunset with the Norwegian flag over them. Photo by Mikita Karasiou on Unsplash

Relocating to another country can be incredibly rewarding and highly stressful, and no matter how well you prepare for the move, something unexpected or unanticipated always seems to rear its head.

Whether it’s a key piece of paper or a vital document required to help smooth the bureaucratic process, an unexpected cost or an aspect of life in Norway that came as a shock to the system.

It doesn’t have to be negative either. It could also be something you’ve grown to love or came as a pleasant surprise. Either way, we would like to hear from you about the things you wish you knew before moving to Norway.

We’ll aim to include your answers in a future article. Thank you for taking part.

Frazer at The Local Norway.

 

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WORKING IN NORWAY

EXPLAINED: What is a Norwegian collective bargaining agreement? 

Workers in Norway will undoubtedly have heard about collective bargaining agreements, especially if they are unionised. But what is meant by the term, and how do they work? 

Published: 24 May 2022 11:54 CEST
EXPLAINED: What is a Norwegian collective bargaining agreement? 

A good work-life balance, high wages, and generous vacation time are some of the many benefits that lure foreign workers to Norway. 

However, a lot of these rights aren’t protected by Norwegian laws. Instead, worker’s regulations are a mixture of agreements between the country’s trade unions and employers, and government legislature. 

Working life in the country can best be summarised as a system of tripartite cooperation where employers, employee organisations and the government work together on matters regarding employment in the country. This is also referred to as the ‘Norwegian Model’.

“Norway is a pretty unionised country, and the regulations surrounding working life in Norway are mainly based on a mixture of laws and collective agreements,” Jan Olav Andersen, union leader for the Electricity and IT Association (ELogIT Forbundet), explained to The Local.

READ MORE: What foreign residents in Norway should know about workers’ unions

To decide on the rules and regulations that will govern working life, trade unions negotiate with employers’ organisations every few years to develop collective bargaining agreements which determine everything from wages to parental leave. In Norwegian, these are called tariffavtale.

Collective bargaining agreements are negotiated throughout the spring, and negotiations for some of the most prominent sectors will regularly make the domestic headlines. Before the negotiations, unions will typically announce what they expect from the talks. This year, employee organisations have said that solid salary growth is expected, due to a high cost of living, inflation and low wage rises throughout the last few years. 

The agreement itself is a contract which regulates employment conditions, for example, stipulating that all employees with a particular job title must receive a salary within a specific pay band, as well as holiday allowance, overtime pay, working hours, and other benefits.

The breakdown of these negotiations leads to strikes and lock outs. Industrial action is a legal part of the Norwegian working model, provided they are announced and not unsanctioned. 

As a result of the strength of the collective bargaining agreements, more than two million people are part of unions. However, some unions have much higher membership rates than others. For example, the service industry has a much lower union membership than the municipal sector, which is heavily unionised. 

Workers in unions do not need to negotiate over salaries, and if a worker is in a union, their contract will be regulated by a collective bargaining agreement. Unions cover both the public and private sectors in Norway. 

“We negotiate collectively at both a national and a company level. If you are not a member of a union, then you will have to act on your own, as we used to say, ‘alone we beg, together we negotiate’,” Andersen said.  

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