– This case shows that it is easy to get away with cheating in working life in Norway. Storting representative Mímir Kristjánsson, from Rødt, talks about the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s case against the Spanish lift company Electromecánica Del Noroeste. – The inspectorate has more confidence in a company that breaks deadlines and spends ten months presenting statutory documentation, than in the workers who say that they are being exploited. It shouldn’t be like this. Here, something has been completely turned upside down, he says. Didn’t examine the timetables news has previously told about the record fine of one and a half million to Electromecánica. The background was an inspection at the Vard Søviknes shipyard outside Ålesund. Here, Spanish lift fitters told about illegally long days at work. Since the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority did not receive payslips and timesheets, they concluded that serious offenses had been committed. But after almost a year, the firm sent the documents in a complaint. The supervisory authority then canceled the fine. Jens Erik Romslo is head of section at the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Photo: Dag Harald Kvammen Andersen / news – The new documentation showed that it was not sufficiently probable that a breach existed at the time we carried out the inspection. We thus had no legal basis for maintaining the fee, says section manager Jens Erik Romslo at the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. news recently revealed that the complaint was submitted after the deadline, according to the supervisory authority, had expired. Nor did the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate investigate whether the time lists they received in the complaint showed illegal working hours – as the workers at the shipyard had told. It evokes strong reactions. – Owls in the quagmire – If a company, with several hundred million kroner in turnover, is unable to deliver timesheets for such a long time, then there are owls in the quagmire. Everyone should understand that, says Kristjánsson. SV deputy leader Kirsti Bergstø says: – I am reacting to the fact that the company has been granted an exception to the appeal deadline, and that there has not been a proper review of the time sheets and pay slips of the employees. – What signal does this send to the rest of working life? – Workplace crime is a serious problem. That is why it is important that the government strengthens work against organized crime and forced labour. Social dumping must be combated through targeted measures, legislative changes and supervision, she says. Storting representative Dagfinn Olsen (Frp) believes the Spaniards’ complaint should have been rejected by the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. – Since it was delivered after the deadline, it should have been put away, he says. YARD: The cruise ship “Viking Octantis” is docked at the Vard Søviknes shipyard outside Ålesund. It was in this ship that the Spanish installed elevators. The picture was taken under the supervision of the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority in October 2021. Photo: Arne Fredrik Næss / news – A correct result is the most important thing Law professor Christoffer Eriksen, at the University of Oslo, completely disagrees with the FRP politician. Christoffer Eriksen is professor at the Department of Public Law at the University of Oslo. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – It is not simply wrong to take into account a complaint that comes in after the complaint deadline. The administration cannot make a decision on anything, not even a fee, if it is based on an incorrect basis, he says. Eriksen draws the parallel to an alibi that appears after someone has been convicted. – If there is new evidence, the case can be reopened. The consideration of a correct result is very important, he says. The leader of the Lift fitters’ trade union, Markus Hansen, fears the case will lead to fewer people daring to notify the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. – The illegalities the employees told about have zero consequences for the company. It is likely that other employers will try to stretch the rope even further. It will hit workers who come to Norway from other countries the hardest. They are most vulnerable to exploitation, he says. Markus Hansen from the Lift Installers trade union during a demonstration in front of the Storting. The demonstration was not linked to the Spanish company that news mentions in this article. Photo: Lift fitters’ union – New information in the case The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority rejects much of the criticism. – We disagree that the business has gotten away cheaply. It has received a number of orders, including on late payment of wages to the employees. This has been paid. We have directed strong criticism at the business because it took far too long to get the information we required, says section manager Romslo. He emphasizes that the law allows complaints to be processed after the deadline, when there are special reasons for doing so. – In this case, it was done because a lot of new information came into the case. We considered the complaint and found reason to cancel the fee. Romslo clarifies that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority still has the company under the microscope. – The inspection has not ended. We are following the business closely going forward. Romslo does not respond to the criticism that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has not thoroughly reviewed the time lists they finally received. news has given Electromecánica the opportunity to respond to the allegation of cheating and owls in the bog. Their Norwegian lawyer, Aleksander Sandtrøen, says the company will not comment on this. Lawyer Aleksander Sandtrøen from the law firm Grette represents Electromecánica in the complaint against the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Photo: Advokatfirmaet Grette AS Previously, Sandtrøen wrote to news: “Electromecánica takes note that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has revoked its decision against the company regarding infringement fees following the inspection at the Vard Søvik shipyard in October 2021.” The Storting is considering a change in the law Before the summer, Rødt submitted a proposal to the Storting to amend the Working Environment Act on one point: to remove the upper limit for fees from the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate. Today’s limit is NOK 1.65 million. It applies regardless of how much a company has earned from breaking the law. The proposal to change the law came after news told in June how a shipyard company made a profit, even after being fined for breaking the law. The proposal will be considered by the Storting’s labor and social affairs committee this autumn.
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– Easy to get away with cheating – news Dokumentar
