Joakim Augeli Karlsen joined Littler Norway as a partner on 2 April 2024. He specialises in labour and employment law and litigation before the courts. Joakim will assist business clients with all types of labour and employment law cases, and is the "go to person" in cases and law that require that little extra.

Tore Lerheim and Merete Furesund from Littler have assisted the Medical Association in a tariff dispute regarding pension accrual against KS (The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities). The Labour Court upheld the Medical Association's view on pension accrual for emergency medical services work. We congratulate the Medical Association on their complete victory!

Friday 15 March, the European Council adopted a modified version of the proposed Due Diligence Directive. The directive requires large companies to assess the impact of their activities on human rights and the environment. Several EU member states have been skeptical about the proposed rules, and there has been significant tension about whether the directive would be adopted.

Vi er svært glade for at vi for ellevte år på rad er høyt rangert i Chambers Europe Employment. Firmaet er rangert. Det samme er fire av våre anerkjente partnere  og advokater; Merete Furesund, Ole Kristian Olsby, Tore Lerheim og Trond Erik Kvalsnes.  

This week, the Council of the European Union agreed on a separate directive for platform work. This is the very first directive to regulate working conditions for platform workers. It applies both to those who are employees or self-employed contractors, and those who perform services for digital platforms that offer the services through an app.

In a recent judgement, the Supreme Court ruled that an offshore worker was not entitled to exemption from night work, despite health-related conditions that required it.

For the 26th time, the Lawyer Survey in Norway is presented. We are very pleased that so many competitors have once again voted Tore Lerheim as one of the best employment law lawyers in Norway. On the podium last year, and this year with a good fourth place in strong competition for the podium.

Following the major #MeToo campaign in 2017, the focus on sexual harassment has increased, and since the new year, the Working Environment Act has also specified that employees are protected against sexual harassment.

Maria started as an associate with us in February 2020, with two years of experience from the National Insurance Court and two years of experience from the Immigration Appeals Board.

The Supreme Court's latest judgement on what constitutes a report concerning issues of concern illustrates how important it is for employers to carefully consider whether critical statements from shop stewards or employees actually constitute reporting issues of concern (whistleblowing) within the meaning of the Act.

From 1 July 2024, companies must meet a number of new requirements for the content of employment contracts.  In the worst-case scenario, failure to provide information may mean that the employee is given permanent employment.

At Littler, we are always up to date on the latest in labour law. As 2023 draws to a close, we summarise the most important news in the field of employment law in the past year and share some thoughts on what we can expect in the new year ahead.