Christopher Hansteen

The teachers' strike in autumn 2022 ended when the Government intervened and imposed compulsory arbitration. In October 2023, the Union of Education Norway (UEN) (in Norwegian: Utdanningsforbundet) filed a complaint regarding this intervention with the International Labour Organization’s Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA). Our attorneys, Maria Mirijanyan, Johannes Teigland, and Christopher Hansteen, prepared the complaint on behalf of the Union of Education Norway and assisted the UEN throughout the complaint process. The Committee has now reviewed the complaint, and their report was published on June 14th after being adopted by the ILO’s Governing Body.

At the request of Oslo District Court, the EFTA Court has issued an advisory opinion in the form of a judgement on the interpretation of Article 36 of the EEA Agreement on freedom to provide services, etc. The case concerns the question of whether Norwegian hiring rules are in line with EEA law.

Unio gets to keep the current main collective agreement in the state. This became clear after the National Wage Board today issued its ruling in the fundamental dispute between Unio and the state in connection with the 2024 state settlement. Hjort has assisted Unio in the case.

In a recent decision, the Supreme Court has established that employees taking breaks from work at their home office are not covered by the national insurance occupational injury coverage. The judgment provides important clarifications on when employees are covered by occupational injury insurance and is of central importance for anyone working fully or partially from a home office.

On June 26, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a judgment that provides guidance on when an employer is obligated to offer other suitable work upon dismissal related to circumstances on the employee's side.

7th of May, the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo organized a labor law lunch entitled "On the possibility of trade unions to exclude members." University lecturer Niklas Selberg from Lund University gave the introductory speech, and lawyer Christopher Hansteen from Hjort gave a prepared commentary.

As a consequence of the merger of courts following the judicial reform in 2021, several court leaders became redundant in their leadership roles. The affected positions were continued as judicial offices in the merged courts, but in a way that allowed the incumbents to retain their title and salary.

In a groundbreaking ruling from the Labor Court on February 5, new light was shed on the legality of sympathy strikes in Norway, especially in cases involving foreign employers. The ruling, of above-average principled significance, provides important clarifications on the scope of the Main Agreement between LO (Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions) and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association and sets a precedent for future labor disputes with international elements. With this ruling, workers' rights are strengthened, enhancing the ability to enforce tariff demands against foreign employers in Norway.

On December 11, the Labor Court issued a unanimous judgment that puts an end to the prolonged discussion about the so-called individual after-effect of collective agreements.

Partner Christopher Hansteen, Senior Associate Johannes Teigland, and Associate Maria Mirijanyan assisted the Union of Education Norway in its complaint to the Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) at the International Labour Organization (ILO) for violations of ILO conventions concerning the protection of freedom of association, conventions to which Norway is bound.

Is your company prepared for the obligations imposed by the Transparency Act? The first deadline after the compliance requirements have been in place is June 30, 2023.

On April 17, 2023, a major strike was launched following a break in negotiations between the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, YS and NHO. This is the first occurrence in modern times that interim settlement in the private sector has ended in conflict. The strike could have a major impact on the operations of many businesses. The following is a summary of the most important rules employers should be familiar with in the face of a strike.