News and current topics from various practice areas and industries

On May 25, 2023, the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion decided to implement an approval scheme for temporary employment agencies. The approval scheme is an extension of the tightening of access to hiring labor from staffing agencies, which came into effect on April 1, 2023. 

Until July 1st, businesses should review their agreements to determine if any changes need to be made.

Is your company prepared for the obligations imposed by the Transparency Act? The first deadline after the compliance requirements have been in place is June 30, 2023.

On September 19, 2022, Borgarting Court of Appeal rendered a verdict in one of the largest fraud cases in Norwegian history. Hjort law firm assisted the Italian energy company Edison, which was victim to a comprehensive CEO fraud in 2019.

The Supreme Court issued its decision in the so-called “tips case”, where employees at Hotel Bristol and Oslo Plaza Hotel were granted the right to keep the tips they received from customers without the employer being able to deduct costs for mandatory employer’s contributions and administration.

On April 17, 2023, a major strike was launched following a break in negotiations between the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, YS and NHO. This is the first occurrence in modern times that interim settlement in the private sector has ended in conflict. The strike could have a major impact on the operations of many businesses. The following is a summary of the most important rules employers should be familiar with in the face of a strike.

Nearly three years have passed since the areas Utsira Nord and Southern North Sea II were designated for offshore wind power production. During a press conference on March 29, 2023, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced a competition for project areas for offshore wind in both regions. This marks the first time applications for offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf are open. The plan is to allocate the project areas for both Southern North Sea II and Utsira Nord by the end of 2023.

The draft directive on corporate sustainability due diligence (“CSDD-directive”) is still in the making, but with a draft from the European Commission and the Council of the European Union negotiating position established, we have compared the obligations in the draft directive with the obligations following from the Norwegian Transparency Act.