– The government will fight social dumping and carry out a major clean-up in Norwegian working life. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) was clear in his inauguration speech to the Storting last autumn. The villains in working life could expect a government that was tough in the pinch. But when Støre announced a fight against social dumping, few could have imagined what would happen a year later: The entire Storting will allow the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority to issue larger fines to offenders now. Except for the government parties. They will vote against. This is exactly what seems to be happening on Thursday. Want more police reports news has previously 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. UNLAWFUL WORKING: At Kleven Verft in Ulsteinvik, the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority discovered that a worker had worked 41 days straight. The inspectorate was not allowed to give as large a fee as they wanted. The shipyard is today called Green Yard Kleven. Photo: Per Eide news’s case led to the party Red proposing to remove the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate’s fee cap of NOK 1.65 million. This autumn, the Norwegian Parliament’s labor and social affairs committee discussed this. Now the somewhat rare trio of the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the Red Party are behind an adjusted proposal. They will “significantly raise the upper limit for the imposition of infringement fines”. They also want the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority to routinely report “labor crime of a serious nature” to the police. Two against røkla But the two governing parties do not support the proposal. What they want is to wait. Look at the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s practice. Because last autumn the Minister of Labor instructed the Norwegian Inspectorate to issue more and higher fines. But then there was this maximum limit, then. In any case, the fines cannot exceed NOK 1.65 million. news has asked the other opposition parties in the Storting what they think. The Liberal Party, KrF, MDG and Patientfokus replied that they would support the proposal for a higher fee ceiling. Then there was the joker SV – the government’s budget partner. What do they answer? COMMITTEE CHAIR: Kirsti Bergstø chairs the labor and social affairs committee at the Storting. After some time in the thinking box, the party confirms that they will support the proposal. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB After a visit to the think tank, SV now confirms that they give the proposal the thumbs up. – Of course it must sting to deal with workplace crime. That is why we will vote to raise the fee limit, says Deputy Chair Kirsti Bergstø. Thus, SV secures a majority during the Storting’s vote on Thursday. – Why is SV willing to inflict defeat on the government in this matter? – SV negotiates the budget with the government, but we have no agreement beyond that. We vote for what we are for, and against what we are against, says Bergstø. Red signals that they will celebrate the breakthrough with cake. HAPPY: Storting representative Mímir Kristjánsson and the rest of Rødt’s Storting group will celebrate with cake. Photo: Ole Berg Rusten / NTB – We are happy that it is moving towards a majority, despite the fact that the governing parties did not want to participate. The fines from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority have been too complicated, says parliamentary representative Mímir Kristjánsson. – The proposal does not say anything about how high the maximum fine should be. How tall should it be? – Today’s maximum fine must be multiplied. We are talking about tens of millions of kroner. The amount must be in line with the company’s size. But the details are up to the ministry to find out. Want fines that sting From those who decide to those concerned: – If you want to overcome the exploitation of workers, you must have fines that sting, says Arne Otto Rogne. He is a trustee in the shipyard group Vard. Arne Otto Rogne is a trustee in the shipyard group Vard. Photo: Tore Ellingseter / news Last year, Romanian workers at one of the company’s shipyards told about hourly wages of NOK 30 while they were building cruise ships. That’s a fraction of the minimum wage. The Romanians worked for one of Vard’s subcontractors, which was checked by the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate. Workers who are exploited in the construction industry can get help from Fair Play Bygg. Leader Lars Mamen also believes that the fines must be higher: – As long as the penalties are too low, the criminals will only snort at the Labor Inspectorate. He believes that higher fines will be a deterrent. Lars Mamen is the manager of Fair Play Bygg, which helps workers who are exploited in the construction industry. Photo: BJØRN ATLE GILDESTAD It’s a matter of life and death The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s maximum fines are among the lowest from state inspections. This has recently been revealed by news. Fellesforbundet thinks the jumbo space is striking. – Workplace crime is no small matter. It affects us all. Safety at work is in many cases a matter of life and death. That’s what union leader Jørn Eggum says. DEMANDED INCREASE: In June, Jørn Eggum demanded that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s fee ceiling be removed. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / Patrick da Silva Sæther LO, for its part, pays tribute to the government’s efforts for a more orderly working life. They also point to the police. – The problem is not necessarily the fees from the inspection, but that the police often do not take cases from the inspections, says LO secretary Trude Tinnlund. “Storm in a glass of water” A last visit to the Storting at the end. The Labor Party says this about the upcoming vote on Thursday: – Rather than managing this work in detail through request decisions, we believe it is best to look at these things in the context of the ongoing major cleaning in working life. The government is well underway with this, says parliamentary representative Runar Sjåstad. He emphasizes that the party does not rule out an increased fee limit. In the long run. Then there was the Center Party, then. Representative Per Olaf Lundteigen refers to the party’s comments in the committee. Here it is stated that fees must have a preventive effect. And that the party will look at the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority’s practice before deciding whether the fee ceiling should be raised. Lundteigen calls this case from news, which you will soon have finished reading, “Storm in a water glass”. Facts about fines from the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority can issue fines for infringements when they detect violations of the Working Environment Act. According to the law, such a fee can be a maximum of 15 times the basic amount of the national insurance. This corresponds to NOK 1.65 million. If the fee is to be far greater than this, the law must therefore be changed. Høyre, Rødt and FrP have put forward this proposal: “The Storting asks the government to significantly raise the upper limit for the imposition of infringement fees and to ensure that workplace crime of a serious nature is routinely reported to the police.” The proposal will be voted on in the Storting on Thursday 24 November 22. If the proposal is adopted, it will be sent to the ministry responsible for the follow-up.
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The Norwegian Arbeidstilsynet will now be allowed to issue mega fines for violations of the Working Environment Act – news Dokumentar
