Labour Inspectorate gets more power against workplace crime

The changes occur as a result of legislative amendments adopted by the Parliament, and imply, among other things, the right to collect information from third parties, secure evidence by coercion and impose a fee directly upon verification.

The aim of the changes is to make it easier to expose serious offences and exploitation in the workplace, such as gross violations of pay and working conditions or illegal hiring and undeclared work. To a greater extent, the Labour Inspectorate will be able to intervene quickly and purposefully, especially in cases where there is suspicion of criminality or organised exploitation of workers.

What does this mean for Norwegian companies?
‍Although the measures primarily target criminal actors, the changes have implications for the entire working life:

• Greater requirements for documentation: Employers must be able to document that pay and working conditions comply with the regulations, also under supervision.
• Risk of charges on the spot: In the event of serious violations, the Labour Inspectorate can now impose infringement fees directly, without long processing time.
• Third-party acquisition: The supervisory authority may collect information from actors such as accountants, rental agencies or subcontractors, without the consent of the company.
• More targeted oversight: The agency will use new homes to conduct more effective and streamlined controls, including in vulnerable industries such as construction, cleaning and transportation.

A need for better internal control
‍The changes are taking place at a time when seriousness in working life is receiving increased attention. It places higher demands on companies' internal control, procedures and knowledge of the regulations. Employers should ensure that they have up-to-date routines for pay, working hours, employment contracts and HSE follow-up, and that these are actually followed in practice.

Businesses that have good controls and documentation will have little to fear, but should still prepare for the fact that supervision can become both more frequent and more intrusive, even where they have not previously been at risk.

Read more on the pages of the Labor Inspectorate.