Differences between having and not having a collective agreement

With a collective agreement

Working hours

You have a working week of 37.5 hours. Work in excess of this is paid at overtime rates.

Without a collective agreement

You have a maximum working day of 9 hours and a maximum working week of 40 hours. Only work in excess of this is paid at overtime rates.

Overtime pay

Overtime supplement of 50–100 per cent for work in excess of 37.5 hours per week.

Overtime supplement of 40 per cent for work in excess of 9 hours per day and 40 hours per week.

Public holiday pay

When the law gives you time off on public holidays, you are guaranteed paid time off. If you have to work on these days, you are entitled to a supplement in addition to your ordinary pay.

The law only entitles you to paid time off on 1 and 17 May.

Leave of absence

Short welfare leave, such as paid time off to accompany a child on their first day at nursery and school.

No entitlement to short welfare leave with pay.

Contractual pension (AFP)

With a collective agreement

AFP provides you with a lifelong pension and is a supplement to the retirement pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and the company’s mandatory occupational pension scheme (OTP).

Without a collective agreement

You are covered only by the retirement pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme and the company’s mandatory occupational pension scheme (OTP).

Pay

You receive a guaranteed wage and you can agree higher pay locally with the company.

There is no statutory minimum wage in Norway. You also have no entitlement to hold local pay negotiations.

Pay supplements for evening, night and weekend work

Holiday and holiday pay

You have a guaranteed right to a pay supplement if you work in the evening, at night or at the weekend.

You also receive a supplement for shift work, as well as a meal allowance.

5 weeks of holiday and 12 per cent holiday pay.

The Norwegian Working Environment Act does not provide entitlement to any supplements of this kind.

4 weeks + 1 day of holiday and 10.2 per cent holiday pay.

Reorganisation and downsizing

You are guaranteed co-determination through employee representatives who act on your behalf in discussions with the management.

You only have rights in the event of “mass redundancies”. Without elected representatives, however, you are on your own in this process.