Working life in Norway is regulated by laws. The central ones are the Working Environment Act, the Act relating to Annual Holidays and the Wage Guarantee Act. Both the employer and the employee have certain rights and duties.

Tax
When you work and receive a salary you also pay tax. Tax money is a contribution to "the common good", such as schools, hospitals, parks and roads. As a tax payer you also earn points towards the pension scheme, which eventually turns into a little more money when you retire. Paying taxes is also a duty - if you work and don't pay tax, you may have trouble both with the tax authorities and the police.

Tax card
When you start a job, you need a tax card. The application form for this may be downloaded here, from the website of Skatteetaten (the Inland Revenue Service), or you can pick it up or order it from the local tax office (Oslo ligningskontor).

The first time you apply for a tax card, you must write down how much you think you will earn within that year. The tax card should be given to your employer as soon as you receive it. If you do not present a tax card, the emplyer is required by law to deduct 50% of your earnings. The employer makes sure that taxes are deducted, but check just to make sure when your first payslip arrives. If you quit and start a new job, you bring your tax card.

Tax exemption
If you work part time or have a summer job you can have a "frikort", which means that you are exempted from paying taxes up to 39 997 kroner (in 2008). If you expect to earn more, ask for a tax card instead.

Change of tax card
If it turns out that you will earn more - or less - than you thought, you apply for a change in your taxes. The form for this can be found here, or you order or pick it up from Oslo ligningskontor.

Address:
Schweigaardsgate 17
0191 Oslo
Telephone: 800 80 000
www.skatteetaten.no

Here, you can also find the Service centre for Foreign Workers. Go visit, or find useful information in English or Polish or Norwegian in their website.

Employment contract
When you get a job, you and your employer should enter a written agreement, stating where you work, what your salary is, working hours and holiday regulations. You should always have an employment contract, whether your job is regular or temporary.

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) has a website where you can read more about contracts and other agreements and laws regulation working life in Norway. Click here to go there.

Salary
Salary may be agreed upon differently: a new employee and the employer may agree on salary when a person is hired. At other times, the salary is already set and will normally be stated in the job advert. In larger workplaces, salary is often agreed upon in local negotiations between the employer and labour organisations.

Salary is usually paid on a monthly basis. If you don't have a bank account, you should open one when you are earning money. Your salary can then be paid directly into your account.

Working hours
If you have a full-time job, working hours are typically 37,5 hours per week. Saturday and Sunday are normally days off, unless you work in a hospital, hotel or restaurant that are open 7 days a week.

Vacation
All employees are entitled to a yearly vacation . You can also have a paid vacation if you have worked long enough: throughout the year, a small percentage of your salary is deducted and will be returned as 'feriepenger' or vacation payment. Most people have a right to take 5 weeks off during the year.

Arbeidstilsynets svartjeneste (answering service) on telephone no. 815 48 222 gives information on vacation rights, paid vacation, and your duties and rights as an employee. You can also send a question on to svartjenesten@arbeidstilsynet.no

Sickness and health care
If you become sick and cannot go to work, you should inform your work place as quickly as possible. Your salary is not reduced if you hand in a written notice or a doctor's certifcation.

A medical certificate is necessary if you have been ill more than three days. Three days also include Saturdays, Sundays and other public holidays. This means that you will need a medical certificate if you are away from work Thursday, Friday and Monday.
If you have been employed for less than 8 weeks or if you were sick and used a written notice less than two weeks ago, you also need a medical certificate.

If you fall ill and need a medical certificate, call your doctor as soon as possible and ask for an appointment. He or she needs to know from which day you have been sick in order to issue a medical certificate.

If you were sick no more than three days, you can write your own statement. This is called egenmelding. Check if your job has a special form. In most workplaces, egenmelding can be used 4 times in 12 months.

If you have children under 12 years of age, you are entitled to a specified number of days at home when the child is sick. This applies only if both parents are employed outside the home. Mother and father must distribute days at home with a sick child between them.

Check if your job has a special form for egenmelding and egenmelding for syke barn.

Discrimination
If you experience discrimination at your place of work, you can contact the Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud - Likestillings- og Diskrimineringsombudet.

The Working Environment Act, Arbeidsmiljøloven, protects against discrimination and unfair treatment. on grounds of race, colour, national or ethnic origin, homosexuality or disability in employment and promotion cases (The Working Environment Act, section 55A).

The Act also protects against harassment and improper conduct (section 12) and unfair dismissal (section 60).

.----------------------------------------

General information on laws and rules regulating Norwegian working life can be found in the following websites::

Arbeidstilsynet (The Directorate of Labour Inspection) The site is partly in English.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work - information in Englsih about the working environment in Norway
LO - The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
NAV (The Norwegian Labour and Welfare organisation) A short English version can be found here

Last modified 09/01/2009