ESA satisfied with Norwegian rules for foreign shipyard workers
The EEA Authority ESA believes today’s rules for foreign shipyard workers are good enough. Workers get the travel, boarding and lodging within Norway reimbursed, but not the journey to the country.
On Wednesday, the College, which is the supreme body of ESA, decided to close the complaint. The parties state that they have known the decision for a while.
“The only natural thing is that the ESA closes this case, which should never have been opened,” says Jørn-Henning Eggum in the Trade Union to NTB.
Director of Labour Nina Melsom of NHO says they are pleased that the case is closed.
Intermediate Solution
The reason is that while the complaint was being processed by ESA, the Norwegian tariff committee decided a kind of intermediate solution. Thus, the employer is no longer obliged to pay the travel to Norway for foreign shipyard workers, but they must pay travel, board and lodging within Norway’s borders.
It was the Norwegian employer’s side who complained to EFTA in 2013. The tariff committee reached its decision on October 11 this year.
Ensures rights
“This decision ensures that when travelling workers from other EEA countries are required to travel in Norway, they have the same rights for such journeys as Norwegian workers,” said ESA president Bente Angell-Hansen.
ESA originally received two complaints, one from NHO and one from a Polish employer, about the Norwegian rules relating to foreign workers in construction sites, ship and shipbuilding and cleaning companies.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
