What is a collective agreement?
Are you wondering what a collective agreement is, and why it is important to you? Here you will find everything you need to know about collective agreements, including links to NITO's agreements and advice on what to do if you do not have a collective agreement at your workplace.
This is a collective agreement
- A collective agreement is a written agreement between a trade union and an employer or employers' organisation.
- It lays down rules for wages, working hours, pensions and other working conditions.
- Collective agreements give employees greater co-determination in decisions that affect their working day.
Why are collective agreements important?
A collective agreement ensures fair and predictable working conditions. Among other things, it provides:
- Salary and salary development – Ensures competitive pay and the right to negotiate.
- Working hours and overtime – Clear rules for working hours, rest periods and overtime pay.
- Pensions and insurance – Financial security both in and after working life.
- Leave of absence and welfare schemes – Rights to holiday, sickness benefit and parental leave.
- Co-determination – Employees are given a voice in important decisions in the workplace.
- Cooperation – Dialogue between the parties lowers the level of conflict.
Who are the parties to a collective agreement?
- Trade unions – Trade unions that negotiate on behalf of their members, such as NITO for engineers and technologists.
- Employers – Individual companies or employers' organisations, such as Spekter, KS, Virke or NHO, that represent the employer's interests.
The role of union representatives in the collective agreement provides co-determination
Union representatives play a key role in ensuring that the collective agreement is followed and further developed. They represent the employees in negotiations, provide support in conflict situations and ensure a good dialogue with the employer to comply with the provisions of the agreement.
We call this co-determination. In this way, union representatives help influence decisions concerning the working environment, reorganisation and development of the business.
Collective agreements have different parts
There are different collective agreements depending on which industry you work in – and which union you are a member of. Collective agreements consist of several parts:
- The main agreement – Sets the framework for cooperation between the employer and the trade unions, including the right to co-determination and how disputes are to be resolved.
- The collective agreement/basic collective agreement – Contains rules for wages, working hours, overtime, leave, pensions and insurance.
- Special agreements – Agreements that cover specific conditions, such as on-call arrangements or competence development. These can be both central and local.
NITO, collective agreements and co-determination
NITO works actively to ensure good collective agreements for engineers and technologists. We negotiate regularly to strengthen members' rights, ensure safe working conditions and increase co-determination in the workplace.
NITO's collective agreements
NITO has collective agreements in both the private and public sectors:
Collective agreements in the private sector
Collective agreements in Spektrum
Collective agreements in the state
Collective agreements in the local government sector
Collective agreements with Samfunnsbedriftene
How to check if you have a collective agreement?
As a NITO member, you can check which collective agreement applies where you work on My page.
What do you do if you do not have a collective agreement?
- If the company is a member of an employers' organisation: NITO can help you activate the collective agreement if it is not already in force.
- If the company is not a member of an employers' organisation: NITO's business group can agree with the employer on a direct agreement - a local collective agreement that applies to you.
Frequently asked questions about collective agreements
Hva er en tariffavtale og hvorfor er den viktig for meg som arbeidstaker?
En tariffavtale er en skriftlig avtale mellom en fagforening (for eksempel NITO) og en arbeidsgiver eller arbeidsgiverorganisasjon (for eksempel NHO). Den fastsetter regler for lønn, arbeidstid, pensjon og andre arbeidsvilkår. Tariffavtaler er viktige fordi de gir deg som arbeidstaker større medbestemmelse, forutsigbarhet og trygghet i arbeidslivet. Tariffavtalene sikrer rettferdige vilkår som ofte er bedre enn lovens minimumskrav.
Hvilke typer tariffavtaler finnes, og hva er forskjellen på hovedavtalen og overenskomsten?
Det finnes ulike typer tariffavtaler avhengig av bransje og fagforening. De består gjerne av flere deler: Hovedavtalen setter rammen for samarbeidet mellom arbeidsgiver og fagforeninger, inkludert medbestemmelsesrett og tvisteløsning. Overenskomsten (eller den sentrale tariffavtalen/hovedtariffavtalen) inneholder de konkrete reglene for lønn, arbeidstid, ferie, pensjon og forsikring. I tillegg finnes det særavtaler som dekker spesifikke lokale forhold, som for eksempel vaktordninger eller kompetanseutvikling.
Hva er forskjellen på en overenskomst og en hovedtariffavtale?
Begrepene "overenskomst" og "hovedtariffavtale" brukes ofte om den samme typen avtale: en sentral tariffavtale som regulerer lønns- og arbeidsvilkår for en større gruppe ansatte.
Forskjellen ligger primært i hvilken sektor eller hvilket avtaleområde begrepene benyttes i. "Overenskomst" er et vanlig begrep i privat sektor, mens "hovedtariffavtale" er mer utbredt i offentlig sektor (stat og kommune).
I praksis er begge betegnelser på den viktigste tariffavtalen som fastsetter de generelle vilkårene for de ansatte innenfor et gitt område, og de utfylles ofte av lokale særavtaler.
Hvilken rolle har tillitsvalgte i forbindelse med tariffavtaler?
Tillitsvalgte representerer de ansatte i forhandlinger og bidrar til en god dialog med arbeidsgiveren. Gjennom tillitsvalgte kan ansatte påvirke beslutninger som angår arbeidsvilkår, omorganisering og virksomhetens utvikling.
Tillitsvalgte spiller en avgjørende rolle i å sikre at tariffavtalen følges og videreutvikles.
Hva er fordelene med å være organisert i en fagforening som NITO når det gjelder tariffavtaler?
Å være organisert i en fagforening som NITO gir deg gode tariffavtaler med bedre vilkår enn det medlemmene hadde fått hver for seg. Slik styrker vi medlemmenes rettigheter, sikrer trygge arbeidsvilkår og øker medbestemmelsen. Som medlem får du også tilgang til juridisk bistand, rådgivning og støtte i spørsmål knyttet til din tariffavtale og arbeidsforhold generelt. Dette gir deg en trygghet og et sikkerhetsnett i arbeidslivet.
Salary and working conditions - A to Z
Do you have any questions about salary and working conditions? Here you will find an alphabetical overview of all the relevant pages:
