Background information

On 31 March, the state employer and the central organisations in the state sector (Unio, LO Stat, Akademikerne and YS Stat) made an agreement concerning child welfare institution under the Child, Adolescent and Family Agency. The agreement was meant to be used if there was a need to take care of young people who live in a child welfare institution and who were infected with coronavirus, or were ill with suspected coronavirus, where it was not possible to use ordinary shift.

Content of measure

The agreement of 31 March, between the state employer and the central organisations in the state sector (Unio, LO Stat, Akademikerne and YS Stat), gave the employer and the employee in child welfare institutions opportunity to agree on companion shifts with a duration up to 7 days.

The agreement could be used if there was a need to take care of young people infected with coronavirus or ill with suspected coronavirus, where it was not possible to use ordinary shift. The agreement regulates remuneration and requires that the employee is allowed necessary periods of rest. 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 validity period of the agreement was from 30 March 2020 until 31 August 2020, and the agreement could be terminated with one month’s notice from each of the parties.

Use of measure

No information to date.

Contents

• Health and safety
• Working time flexibility

Target groups

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 and funding

Actors	Funding
Social partners jointly Trade unions Employers' organisations	No special funding required

Social partners

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:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

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.

Views and reactions

The social partners are supportive of regulation through collective agreements and quickly reached an agreement.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 16 March 2020: Central working time agreements entered into during the corona crisis (www.fagforbundet.no)