Labour law, labour relations and collective bargaining

Basic labour law
The Norwegian Working Environment Act (Arbeidsmiljøloven) regulates the relationship between employers and employees.

The following is a brief overview of some important provisions.

Labour relations

Information/consultation rights and codetermination
Foreign companies operating in Norway may find themselves faced with a system of labour relations, collective bargaining and employee involvement that is unfamiliar to them. This may be particularly true for companies based in the UK or the US. Being aware of the principles for labour relations is crucial in order to avoid undesirable situations in your company. In particular, companies are advised to study the Basic Agreement carefully.

In this brief guide, you’ll find information on some of the basic issues.

Collective bargaining
In Norway, wages are negotiated by the social partners. They are not determined by law, and no legal minimum wage applies. The role of the state is limited to facilitating negotiations (providing statistics and relevant information ahead of negotiations) and to providing a legal framework for solving conflicts of interest (the Labour Disputes Act).

Read more about collective bargaining