– I’m just a student who wanted to make money this summer to fund their studies. I wanted to work legally and safely. Instead, I was exploited, claims Szymon (22). He has reported a craft company to the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Szymon says he was fired on the day he demanded an employment contract. He wants to tell his story in the hope that others will not experience the same as him. The documentation he is said to have given the audit, and which news has seen, involves correspondence between Szymon and the owner of the company. Here, the owner states a salary that is described as «100 kroner net». A bank statement further shows that the 22-year-old was paid NOK 2,500 by the company. Szymon says this corresponds to 25 working hours in three days. He has also shown news several of the houses he is said to have carried out work on. news has been in contact with the owner of the company and he presented the story with Szymon. He does not want to comment on the case to news. – Grossly underpaid – Salary down to NOK 100 an hour is grossly underpaid and against the law. I would like to commend Szymon who dares to speak out, who does not agree to be grossly underpaid by the employer. This is what Lars Mamen from the voluntary association Fair Play Bygg says. The association works to combat social dumping and work-related crime in the construction industry. Social dumping The term is often used when foreign workers receive less pay and work in more difficult conditions than Norwegian workers. Social dumping can mean lower hourly wages, absence of social security schemes, lack of overtime pay or poor job security. The trade union movement believes that social dumping undermines both the wage system and the welfare society. The collective bargaining committee may decide that the terms of the collective agreement shall apply to everyone who performs work regulated by the agreement, and is regarded as an important tool in the fight against social dumping. Nevertheless, social dumping is a fluid concept, and what some call social dumping can be described by others as legitimate competition. Source: Store norske lexikon According to the government, workers in Norway must have a safe workplace and decent pay and working conditions. But according to Mamen, many workers from Eastern Europe are exploited and underpaid. He says this is happening in the construction industry, fishing industry, agriculture, car care and transport. This is also stated in Fafo’s recent report «gross exploitation of foreign workers. According to the report, workers from Eastern Europe, especially from Poland and Romania, often have an urgent need for work and they rarely dare to resign. Recently, according to Mamen, there has nevertheless been a positive development: More and more Polish workers now dare to report on exploitation in the workplace. Mamen believes that it is crucial that these employees receive information about rights and the minimum wage in a language they understand. – Nobody wants to work illegally at 100 kroner an hour if they can get a good job at more than 200 kroner an hour, he says. Cheap assignments, illegal wages Szymon is one of those who dare to notify the authorities about what he believes is wrong. He says he came from Poland to Tromsø in July to work for a craft company for three months. The company is registered in Norway with a foreign owner and markets itself at reasonable prices. On the internet there is a lot of feedback from satisfied homeowners. They praise the workers for the work they have done. For the work, Szymon must therefore have been paid NOK 100 per hour by the company. In comparison, 14-year-olds are paid NOK 105 per hour for, among other things, painting jobs through Småjobbsentralen under the auspices of Tromsø municipality. Only when he met other workers in Norway did he realize what rights he had as an employee. After three days at work, he must have asked for a written contract. Without a contract, he was without rights and without the opportunity to pay taxes. – I refused to work illegally and illegally, he says to news. He claims the owner of the company reacted by dismissing him on the day. Thus he also stood without food and a roof over his head. – I had no money, I had to borrow money for food. Szymon wants to work legally in Norway, and he wants to pay taxes. Photo: Lisa Rypeng / news – Important to notify the authorities The manager at the commuter hotel where Szymon and the other workers in the company were staying, confirms that the 22-year-old asked for help when he was without work during the day. – He came to me and told me that he had been fired. I helped him with a stay for a few days, until he got home to Poland, he says to news. At the hotel, the 22-year-old is also said to have received help to report the matter to the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority. Section leader Trond Henry Skjønsfjell in the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority says they can not comment on the specific case out of consideration for the duty of confidentiality and protection of the whistleblower. He states on a general basis that the Authority takes such warnings seriously. They follow up and supervise on the basis of tips. – It is therefore important to notify the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority in this type of case. Skjønsfjell emphasizes, however, that workers must have a generalized wage, which means that there is a requirement for a minimum wage. Minimum wage in the construction industry For skilled workers, a new rate of NOK 220 per hour applies. For employees without industry experience, NOK 198.30 per hour applies. For employees with at least one year’s industry experience, NOK 206.50 per hour applies. For employees under the age of 18, NOK 132.90 per hour Home owners risk punishment Lars Mamen reminds that home owners also have a responsibility to combat social dumping. – Homeowners who buy cheap renovation contribute to undeclared work and wage theft. If homeowners know they are buying undeclared work, they could risk punishment, he says. And if you as a consumer pay 10,000 kroner or more in cash, then you risk being held responsible for what the craftsman intended to evade in taxes, social security contributions or value added tax. – Serious cases, where undeclared work has been deliberately bought, are reported to the police. Then you risk both fines or imprisonment and confiscation of the gain you had by buying the service black, warns deputy director Trond Båtnes in the Tax Administration. This is what you as a consumer should do This is what the Swedish Tax Agency, the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority and Fair Play Bygg think you as a consumer can do to prevent social dumping and workplace crime: Check if the company is serious, if it is registered in Brønnøysund and in the VAT register. Get a written offer for the work to be carried out, and agree in advance at what price. Pay via bank. When you pay for services via bank, it becomes more difficult to evade taxes and duties Talk to the employees. Check that employees carry HSE cards Ask for and feel free to check references from others who have used the business Ask for an invoice so that you have confirmation of what you are paying for – Back in Poland with debt For 22-year-old Szymon, the stay in Tromsø was to be a important contribution to the coming academic year. He has applied for physiotherapy in his home country, and with a three-month salary he was to finance his studies. That’s not how it went. Instead, he is back in Poland – poorer than when he traveled to Tromsø and Norway just over a week ago. – I used all the savings to get to Norway. The salary of 2500 was used for the flight home. I had to borrow money for food when I was fired on the day. I had no money, he says.
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Fair Play Bygg believes that more and more Poles refuse to work for low wages – news Troms and Finnmark
