It was a slightly strange situation that unfolded in the parliamentary chamber almost a year ago. The elected representatives were to vote on whether the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority should be allowed to issue higher fines. All the parties voted to give the inspectorate a bigger sledgehammer. Except for two. The governing parties, which had announced a major overhaul of Norwegian working life, voted against. – Many other measures are far more effective, the then Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) managed to say, before the governing parties were overtaken by the majority. DEBATE: Former Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) debated in the Storting how the Norwegian Occupational Safety and Health Authority should react to violations of the Working Environment Act on 24 November 2022. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news U-turn from the government Now the government has a new labor minister. And the pipe has got another tune. – Today, rogue businesses can profit from breaking the law, because the maximum fines are set too low. The government wants to change that, says Labor Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap). She has just submitted a proposal for a new maximum amount for consultation. Strictly speaking, she had no choice. After all, last year’s marching order from the Storting was: The maximum amount must be raised significantly. So what does Brenna suggest? Today’s maximum amount is 1.8 million. Brenna wants to jack it up to almost NOK 6 million. But not only that. If the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority catches a big crook, the fine can be even bigger. Brenna suggests that the supervisory authority should also be able to issue fines of up to 4 per cent of a company’s turnover. If the company belongs to a group, the group’s turnover applies. So: If a group has a turnover of one billion, the fine can be NOK 40 million. Read the entire proposal here. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority issues fines for exploitation of workers and violations of the Working Environment Act. CONTROL: Inspectors from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority check workplaces all over the country. They can give orders to suspend, fine and report businesses to the police if they uncover serious offences. Photo: Arbeidstilsynet Fears dilution The political debate about the Arbeidstilsynet’s fee limit flared up after news revealed how a shipyard company that broke the law made a profit, even after being fined. The maximum limit of the fine was lower than the profit from the offences. Rødt was the first party in the Storting to advocate changing the fee ceiling. Party leader Marie Sneve Martinussen is satisfied with what the government is now proposing. – For Rødt, the goal is for it to be safe to go to work in Norway. Then we need higher fines, as the government is now agreeing to. My biggest concern is that the proposal will be watered down after the hearing, she says. On the other side of the political spectrum stands the Right. They honor Brenna’s proposal. – We are happy that the government, which voted against when the proposal was in the Storting, is following up on the majority’s will to crack down much harder on the criminal actors. We cannot have it so that it pays for the unscrupulous to defy fees and orders, says Storting representative Aleksander Stokkebø. LO is also positive. – We have wanted stronger sanctions for a long time, and pointed out that both size and frequency must match better with the extent of the problem, says deputy chairman Steinar Krogstad. Deputy head of LO, Steinar Krogstad. Photo: Trond Isaksen/LO / Trond Isaksen/LO He fears, however, that fines from the inspection may become a sleeping pillow for the police. – However, we are also concerned that workplace crime is treated as crime. One cannot rely on administrative reactions if there are in reality criminal circumstances that should be investigated and reported. The hearing ends on 22 December.
ttn-69
The government will multiply the amount of fines that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority can impose on offenders – news Dokumentar
