Half of seasonal work permits granted to firms who broke Norwegian work laws
Over the ten-year period, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) granted 23,775 work permits to seasonal workers.
Seasonal work permits are granted to those who are offered full-time jobs that can only be carried out at certain times of the year and are typical in the agriculture and fishing sectors.
The UDI can also grant seasonal permits for hospitality work during high seasons or to replace a worker on holiday leave, with the need for these workers assessed by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV).
One of the conditions for being granted a seasonal work permit is that the pay and working conditions must be no worse than what's considered typical in Norway.
Despite this, Aftenposten reported that 322 companies that were granted seasonal permits for their workers had been caught failing to pay overtime, violating safety violations, not recording working hours properly, or underpaying staff by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.
Of these companies, 43 have been fined for serious violations of the Working Environment Act and 23 worksites were shut down due to life and health being endangered. However, just five of these companies have been barred from applying for seasonal permits for workers by the UDI.
The UDI told the newspaper that it could not block more companies from applying for permits due to the limited legislation on when it can apply sanctions.
Furthermore, the UDI's powers to block companies were not based on violations of the Working Environment Act, and sanctions on firms were considered after several serious violations.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Nils Kristen Sandtrøen has said that the law must be changed to better prevent workers from being exploited.
'It must be a minimum requirement that employers follow Norwegian regulations,' he told the newspaper.
Norway's agriculture ministry and jobs ministry will meet with key players in the agriculture industry to develop new measures.
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