Eurofound's COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the crisis, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for case NO-2020-12/1079 – Updated – measures in Norway
Country | Norway , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 16 March 2020 – 15 September 2020 |
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 |
Case created | 09 September 2020 (updated 14 September 2020) |
On 16 March 2020, the state employer and the central organisations in the state sector (Unio, LO Stat, Akademikerne and YS Stat ) made an agreement on reduction of rest period, extension of overtime and amendment to the flexitime agreement. The purpose of the agreement was mainly to help reduce the use of resources in connection with working time planning in the state agencies, and reduce insecurity for the employees, as long as the extraordinary situation related to the coronavirus was ongoing.
On 16 March, the state employer and the central organisations in the state sector (Unio, LO Stat, Akademikerne and YS Stat) made an agreement on reduction of rest period, extension of overtime and amendment to the flexitime agreement.
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. To make it possible for state employees to work from home and to manage a difficult situation when schools were closed and children had to stay home, the parties to the state sector agreement agreed to postpone the regulation of core time in the flexitime agreement under the current circumstances. The parties agreed that the content of the agreement cannot be invoked or otherwise used in later processes between the parties when the situation is back to normal.
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
30 April 2020 |
The agreement was made valid through 30 April 2020, but has been prolonged until and including 31 May 2020, with the exception of the clause on the abolition of core time in the flexitime agreement, which applies until and including 15 September 2020. |
No information to date.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Employees in standard employment
Workers in care facilities Workers in essential services |
Sector specific set of companies
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 state employer and the central organisations in the state sector (Unio, LO Stat, Akademikerne and YS Stat), to facilitate crisis management. By taking such action, the social partners wanted to keep regulation of working time in a collective agreement and avoid provisional legislation.
The social partners are supportive of regulation through collective agreements and quickly reached an agreement.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), New state sector agreement to facilitate working time planning, case NO-2020-12/1079 (measures in Norway), COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, http://eurofound.link/covid19eupolicywatch
Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process. All information is preliminary and subject to change.