Employment contract – describes employees and employers’ rights and duties. It shall always contain information about: who has entered into the contract, the workplace, a description of the work or position, the date on which the employment commences, the expected duration of the employment, if it is temporary, the right to holidays and holiday pay, the probationary period if this has been agreed, period of notice, pay, length and specification of working hours, breaks and any collective agreements regulating the employment relationship.
Collective agreement – an agreement between an employers federation and an employee organisation (union) concerning pay and working conditions. The pay and working conditions are usually better in workplaces that are bound by collective agreements than in most companies that are not. The size of your salary and other benefits depends on the terms agreed in the collective agreements. The level may vary from one industry to another.
Temporary lay-offs – a temporary arrangement whereby the employee is exempt from the obligation to work and the employer is exempt from the obligation to pay wages. A full lay-off means that the employee is completely exempt from his/her duty to work. A partial lay-off means that the employee works part of his/her hours and is otherwise temporarily laid-off. To be entitled to unemployment benefit from NAV, the employee must have had his/her working hours reduced by at least 50 per cent.
HSE – short for health, safety and the environment. HSE is a generic term for all types of work that concerns health, safety and the environment in a workplace. The term is often used about efforts that are made to improve the working environment, but it also includes fire regulations and the reduction of harm to the natural environment.
Social dumping – a situation in the workplace where foreign employees who carry out work in Norway have substantially poorer pay and working conditions than Norwegian employees. The term is not limited to the question of being paid less for the same work. It is also social dumping if foreign workers have significantly poorer working conditions in other respects, for example in the form of disadvantageous working hours, a lack of safety training, inadequate attention to their safety in the workplace etc.
Tax deduction card – The tax deduction card shows how much tax your employer should deduct from your pay. All workers in Norway must have a tax deduction card, which must be given to their employer.
Tax return – The tax return provides the tax authorities with complete information about your income, wealth and deductions, so that the correct amount of tax can be calculated. Everyone who has taxable income or wealth must complete a tax return.
Tax settlement – The tax settlement contains information about the income on which the tax assessment is based, how much tax your employer has deducted and whether you have paid too much or too little tax. You will receive a tax settlement notice when your tax return has been processed by the tax authorities.
NOKUT – the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. NOKUT provides general recognition (level and scope) of higher education from other countries.
Unemployment benefit – benefit from the National Insurance scheme in connection with unemployment. To be entitled to unemployment benefit, your working hours must usually have been reduced by at least 50 per cent. You must meet the general requirements for unemployment benefit in Norway and be willing to do any kind of work. As a main rule, you must live or reside in Norway.
