Norwegian Labor Inspectorate (norw. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority) since 2015, it has been carrying out intensive inspections of all eateries in Norway. In 2018, almost 5 were inspected. of them. The results are not favorable for employers - irregularities were detected in 8 out of 10 cases.
The catering sector in Norway
Approx. 90 thousand people work in the catering sector. employees. Many of them do young people and foreigners. Most of the premises are run by small enterprises, exposed to high risk of bankruptcy. The sector stands out low grade business organization, as well as numerous entities that do not pursue their own interests responsibly. What is characteristic of this sector is the low awareness of the applicable labor law. Both for employees and employers.
Problems in 2018
As of January 2018, Norwegian labor law has changed. As a result, the catering sector was subject to the obligation to provide pay minimal. In 2018, a total of 509 inspections were carried out to verify that minimum wage is provided in catering establishments. According to the inspections carried out, these regulations were not complied with in 3 out of 10 companies.
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No anti-discrimination procedures
The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority since spring 2017, it has also put more emphasis on the issue of sexual abuse during audits. First of all, the applicable procedures are verified reporting unwanted behavior. During that time, approximately 300 companies were inspected in this respect. It turned out that nearly half of them does not have proper procedures for reporting and resolving issues resulting from harassment.
2015-2017 audit results
The above-described issues were found only during the 2018 audit. The Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority It also publishes the conclusions of 4 459 inspections carried out in the years 2015-2017. The results are not favorable for the catering sector as inspectors found irregularities in 80% of companies.
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Problems with contracts
The above-mentioned weaknesses are not the only ones found during the audit. It also turns out that in 2 out of 10 cases the staff did not have signed employment contract. What's more - if such a document has already been prepared, in 60% of cases the minimum requirements resulting from the Norwegian Labor Code were not met.
Overtime problems
The question turned out to be a much bigger problem correct overtime settlement. In 4 out of 10 premises, employees did not receive appendix for working overtime. Moreover, it turned out that almost 1/3 of companies do not control the working time at all, which means that they are not even able to say whether their employees they have any overtime.
No stewards
It also turns out that 6 out of 10 flats do not have a selected one shop steward. Even if there is already a person performing this function, 60% of them are required necessary training about their competences. What's more - in 1 out of 3 companies, the employer did not take care of the necessary and basic training HMS opplæring.
