Hauglie wants workers for children with disabilities to be able to work more hours continuously

Anniken Hauglie (Conservatives).Photo: hoyre.no

People working with disabled children should be able to work 88 hours the week they have the children, suggested the Minister of Labour, Anniken Hauglie.

In a Supreme Court judgment of June last year, it was established that caregivers who have children over the weekend, are employed in the municipalities as workers, not as contractors as they were before.

Thus, labour law applies, which created uncertainty and fear that good relief schemes would disappear.

‘There has been uncertainty about the relief offered in several places following the decision of the Supreme Court.

I have received signals that the legal situation makes it challenging to organize a good and sound service offer in the municipalities.

This is serious’, said Hauglie in parliament in March.

Since then, Hauglie has had meetings with both the Health and Care Minister, Bent Høie (Høyre), the Municipal and Regional Minister, Jan Tore Sanner (Høyre), the Minister for Children and Equal Opportunities, Solveig Horne of Fremskrittspartiet, as well as the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS), and the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees.

Now the minister proposes a regulatory change that allows carers to work for longer hours without conflict with the Working Environment Act, reported NRK news.

‘We want to extend the working week to 88 hours, so it is possible for those who need weekend relief to get it within the law.

It will take care of the vast majority of relief needs, and we think it’s a good solution,’ said Hauglie to the TV station.

‘The Supreme Court ruling made it impossible to have such long working periods continuously, without rest time.

What we want to do now means that it will be possible to have 48-hour working periods, meaning the weekend is being safeguarded within the law.

This means that most of those who need relief over the weekend can now get it, while also taking care of the needs of those who need to do the relief work,’ said the minister.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today