Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure NO-2020-12/1074 – measures in Norway
Country | Norway , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 18 March 2020 – 16 September 2020 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Bipartite collective agreements |
Category |
Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
– Change of work arrangements (working time, rota schemes) |
Author | Aasmund Arup Seip, FAFO and Eurofound |
Measure added | 08 September 2020 (updated 09 September 2020) |
To facilitate the adaption to crisis management during the COVID-19 crisis, The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and the central organisations in the local commune sector (Unio, LO Kommune, Akademikerne and YS ) on 18 March made an agreement on working time. The measures were introduced to make it possible on short notice to increase staffing in nursing homes and in home care, and, for infection control reasons, to reduce the number of shifts.
The agreement was made pursuant to section 10-12 (4) in the Working Environment Act that gives larger trade unions right to enter into a collective agreement that deviates from the law's working hours provisions. The collective agreement expanded the limits to overtime (from 10 to 25 hours per 7 days), and gave the employer the opportunity to averaging working hours. The limit of total working hours in any 24-hour period were raised from 10 to 16 hours. According to the agreement, employers are obliged to discuss the use of overtime with shop stewards before overtime work under the agreement is implemented. The agreement states that overtime cannot be imposed pursuant to the agreement when the extraordinary situation associated with coronavirus no longer exists. The validity period of the agreement was originally 26 weeks, and the agreement could be terminated with one month's notice from each of the parties.
No information to date.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Employees in standard employment
Workers in care facilities Workers in essential services |
Companies providing essential services
|
Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
Social partners jointly
Trade unions Employers' organisations |
No special funding required
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The collective agreement on working time during the COVID-19 pandemic was negotiated by the parties, The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) and the central organisations in the local commune sector, on initiative from the state and the social partners jointly, to facilitate crisis management. By taking such action, the social partners wanted to keep regulation of working time in a collective agreement and avoid state intervention.
The social partners are supportive of regulation through collective agreements and reached an agreement in short time.
This case is sector-specific (only public sector)
Economic area | Sector (NACE level 2) |
---|---|
Q - Human Health And Social Work Activities | Q87 Residential care activities |
This case is occupation-specific
Occupation (ISCO level 2) |
---|
Health professionals |
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Municipalities: New collective agreement expands access to overtime, measure NO-2020-12/1074 (measures in Norway), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/NO-2020-12_1074.html
19 May 2022
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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.