news has previously covered illegal working conditions at the Vard Søviknes shipyard in Sunnmøre. Romanian workers told about an hourly wage of 30 kroner when they built the luxury ship “Viking Octantis” here last autumn. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority is now reacting to another foreign company, which installed lifts in the cruise ship. Spanish Electromecánica Del Noroeste gets a slap of one and a half million kroner. The fee is the highest the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has ever given. – It should not pay to break the regulations. This is a big company. The fee must have a tangible effect, says Jens Erik Romslo, section manager in the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Top five infringement fines from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority Fee of NOK 1.5 million. Mentioned in this case. Fee of NOK 1.4 million to a company in the construction industry in 2019 due to underpayment. A fee of NOK 1.2 million to a company that had accommodated seasonal workers in containers. The decision is from 2019. Fee of NOK 1.2 million to a company in the shipbuilding industry for underpayment and illegal working hours. Fee of 1 million kroner to companies that build cabins. Decision made in 2020. Source: The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority Lack of pay slips and overview of working hours In October, the police, the Tax Administration and the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority trooped up to Vard Søviknes. They were to examine the working conditions. news was present to document the control. When the audit wanted to see the lift fitters’ employment contracts, they had no one to show. The company was then ordered to obtain this. And instructions on what they should contain. The agreements were not presented until this spring. THE BACKROOM: Here, inspectors from the police, the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority and the Tax Administration work together during the inspection at Vard Søviknes in October. news has skimmed some details in the picture. Photo: Arne Fredrik Næss / news As many as five times the Authority has asked for a pay slip, without receiving it. – Without pay cuts, it is not possible for workers to know if they have received the right pay, says Romslo in the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Electromecánica has also not sent over an overview of working hours. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has only received a form showing the number of days the employees worked in Norway. – We do not know the number of hours, or when the working day started and ended. The company has no control over working hours at all. Then it becomes impossible to control this. It is serious, says Romslo. He adds that long days increase the risk of accidents and health problems. ANTARCTICA: The cruise ship “Viking Octantis” was completed in Norway in December 2021. The ship takes money-rich passengers to exotic regions, such as here in Antarctica. Photo: Dennis Schmelz / Viking Cruises The company complains about the fee news has asked Electromecánica these questions: Why did their workers in Norway not have an employment contract? Why have you not sent the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority a pay slip or an overview of working hours? Their Norwegian lawyer, Thorkil H. Aschehoug, does not respond to this. But in an e-mail, he writes to news that the company takes the decision from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority seriously: “In the company’s view, the decision is fraught with both factual and legal errors. The company has therefore appealed and will, through the appeal process, help to shed light on the errors that have arisen in the Authority’s processing of the case. ” Arbeidstilsynet informs news that they had not received any complaint within the deadline. A fraction of turnover Although the fee from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority is record high, it constitutes only a fraction of the Spanish company’s turnover. Jens Erik Romslo is section chief in the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Photo: Dag Harald Kvammen Andersen / news Electromecánica had a turnover of almost half a billion kroner in 2020. This is shown by figures collected by the audit. The fee is thus 0.3 percent of this. – Is the fee high enough? – We have assessed the amount thoroughly. We believe this is correct in light of the breaches that have been uncovered. – We take this very seriously The Vard Group is Norway’s largest shipyard group. news has asked about the working conditions examined before they hired Electromecánica to Norway. It is their duty to do so. – Our contracts with subcontractors are clear that Norwegian pay and working conditions must be followed. This also applies to this company, says Hege Anita Akselvoll, communications director at Vard. Hege Anita Akselvoll is communications director at Vard. Photo: Roar Strøm / news – Was there really no one who discovered the lack of fundamental rights? – We had no information to suggest that something was wrong. Had we suspected disorderly conduct, we would of course have taken immediate action. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has previously concluded that Vard Søviknes last year violated the obligation to ensure pay and working conditions with subcontractors. However, the Authority is satisfied with Vard’s new control routines. – We take this very seriously. In the future, we will follow up all our suppliers closely. Electromecánica is now installing lifts in a new ship at Vard Søviknes. – The company has assured us that the workers have been paid the salary they were missing and that Norwegian pay and working conditions are now being followed, says Akselvoll. Facts about the Vard Vard Group is Norway’s largest shipyard group. Vard owns three operational shipyards in Norway. They are all located in Møre og Romsdal: Brattvåg, Langsten and Søviknes. Vard closed down operations at Aukra and Brevik in 2019. In addition, Vard has shipyards in Romania, Brazil and Vietnam. Vard’s largest owner is the Italian company Fincantieri. Source: The Vard group The shipping company does not answer questions It was the shipping company Viking Cruises that commissioned Vard Søviknes to build «Viking Octantis». Shipowner Torstein Hagen himself visited the yard last autumn. news has asked the shipping company the following questions: What do you think about the working conditions revealed at Electromecánica? Have you raised a breach of the Working Environment Act with Vard Søviknes? Did Hagen ask about the working conditions at the yard during his visit? The shipping company has not responded to this. The company’s adviser Jon Mørland refers instead to his statement to news in May. Then he said, among other things: – This is not a case for Viking Cruises. This is a possible case between the yard and the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. THE CRUISE SHIP: “Viking Octantis” was completed in the autumn of 2021 at Vard Søviknes, which is one of Norway’s largest shipyards. Photo: Arne Fredrik Næss / news
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Mounted lifts in luxury ships – receive a record fee from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority – news Documentary
