NORWAY Trends and Developments
to ensure a sound scientific basis for proposed changes. It is suggested that employees and employer organisations participate in the commit - tee, providing social partners with greater oppor - tunity to take an active role in the field of occupa - tional injuries. • Criteria for new diseases – Knowledge-based cri - teria for new diseases to be included on the list will be maintained. Diseases that no longer meet the criteria will be removed. The Ministry is granted the authority to issue regulations with rules for adding new diseases. • Professional guidance – A professional guidance document will be prepared for the use of the new occupational disease list, ensuring effective inves - tigations, faster case processing, and improved professional quality in decision-making. • Electronic reporting – Employers and other obli - gated reporters must submit injury reports elec - tronically to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, with exceptions where electronic reporting is not feasible. These amendments aim to provide greater flexibil - ity and update the regulatory framework in line with today’s labour market and societal developments. Norwegian wage conditions to be adopted on all ships in domestic traffic With effect from 1 July 2025, the Norwegian Parlia - ment has changed the scope of the General Appli - cation of Collective Bargaining Agreements Act to include ships engaged in so-called domestic traffic, independent of flag state. This is to facilitate the inclu - sion of Norwegian wage conditions on board ships that transport goods between Norwegian and Europe - an ports – and also those that take cargoes between Norwegian ports (cabotage). In order for this to have an effect, the trade unions must petition for general application; they have not yet put forward such peti - tion. In addition, with effect from 1 January 2026, it has been decided that licensees operating on the Norwe - gian continental shelf must ensure that employeeson board ships that provide services to them have Nor - wegian wage conditions. The government must put
in place regulations to regulate the implementation of this in more detail. If a new Norwegian government is formed from Sep - tember 2025, it is believed that all this will be reversed. This is because full coverage of Collective Bargain - ing Agreements in this branch already exists, and the changes would inflict the principle of leaving questions on wages to the Unions and employers’ associations. Case Law Classification of independent contractors versus employees Following the 2024 amendment regarding the defini - tion of “employee” of the Working Environment Act, including the switch regarding laying the burden of proof on the company engaging the worker, there have been notable cases drawing the distinction between contractors and employees. Firstly, the Borgarting Court of Appeal’s judgment on 27 January 2025 in the case of Chorus of Solo - ist Singers acknowledged the soloist’s freedom to choose which assignment she would accept, and her influence on both the chorus’s activities and her own general terms and conditions. Overall, the Court of Appeal found that the singer’s freedom and influence meant that the relationship deviated from the typical relationship of dependence and subordination in an employee relationship. On this basis, the court found that there was no need for the protective rules of the Working Environment Act. Thus, the contractor’s contract prevailed. Appeal to the Supreme Court was not permitted. The judgment is therefore final. Secondly, Norway has had its first – and important in principle – case (the Wolt Couriers case) regarding platform work; matching supply and demand for paid labour with the aid of a digital platform/algorithm. Even though the EU’s Platform Work Directive entered into force on 1 December 2024 (and is EEA-relevant), the member states must implement the directive in their national legislation within two years. The core question has been whether platform workers should
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