Laws and rules in working life
Laws and rules in working life
There are laws, rules and agreements in working life that employers and employees must comply with. The members of the Storting adopt laws, while employers and employees enter into agreements through their respective organisations. The laws apply to all employers and employees, while collective agreements only apply to the specific industries that have devised the agreements.
The Working Environment Act
All employers and employees have to comply with the Working Environment Act. Among other things, the Working Environment Act covers:
- hiring and contracts
- working hours
- absence from work
- work on health, safety and the environment (HSE)
The employer has chief responsibility for the working environment in the workplace, while the employee is obliged to
- help create a good working environment
- help implement measures taken to improve the working environment
- participate in the enterprise's organised safety and environment work
The Holidays Act
The Holidays Act covers, among other things,
- how much holiday you are entitled to
- when holidays are to be taken
- holidays during periods of notice
- illness during holidays
- holiday pay
- Employees in Norway are entitled to four weeks + one day’s holiday each year, but many people have five weeks’ holiday
- We do not receive pay during the holidays, but holiday pay.
- How much holiday pay we get depends on how much we earned the previous year.
Talk together
- Who wrote the laws that govern working life in Norway?
- What has shaped these rules?
- Why is it important that both employers and employees are familiar with the laws and rules?
- Do the laws and rules represent freedom or limitations?
Select the right answer
Who must comply with the Working Environment Act?
Select the right answer
How many days’ holidays are you entitled to in Norway during a working year?
Complete the sentence
How much holiday pay we get depends on ...
Select right or wrong
Read the statements. What is right? What is wrong?
Select right or wrong
Read the statements. What is right? What is wrong?