The main agreement NITO - Virke HUK 2022 - 2025

Table of contents

Part A

• Chapter I Relationship and duration
• Chapter II Requirement for the establishment of a collective agreement
• Chapter III The right of association, duty of peace. Right of negotiation and right of action
• Chapter IV Conflicts
• Chapter V Special agreements
• Chapter VI Employee Representatives
• Chapter VII Rights and obligations of employers and elected representatives
• Chapter VIII Key union representatives
• Chapter IX Layoffs
• Chapter X Information, cooperation and co-determination
• Chapter XI Remuneration/deductions from salary

Part B – Framework agreements

1. Skills development, increased education and leave in this regard
2. Computer-based systems
3. Declaration on the application and development of technology in the individual enterprise
4. Agreement on control measures in the company
5. Gender equality and discrimination in working life
6. Part-time work

Preface

This main agreement, which applies from 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2025, is identical agreements – a parallel agreement – entered into between Virke and a number of employee organisations.

The parallel agreement is Part I of the parties' collective agreements. Part II, the collective agreements, are printed as separate documents. 

The parallel agreement with the associated protocol from 2022 has been entered into between Virke and the following employee organisations:

• Akademikerforbundet
• The Norwegian Association of Architects
• The Librarians' Union
• The Church of Norway's Priests' Association
• The Norwegian Medical Association
• The Norwegian Association of Midwives
• The Norwegian Veterinary Association
• The Norwegian Deacons Association
• The Norwegian Engineers' Union
• Econa
• The Folk High School Association
• The Norwegian Association of Researchers
• Church Teaching Association
• Leaders
• Natural scientists
• NITO
• Norway's Kristelege Folkehøgskolelag
• The Norwegian Pharmaceutical Association
• The Norwegian Association of Lawyers
• Norwegian Occupational Therapist Association
• Norwegian Film Association
• Norwegian Physiotherapist Association
• The Norwegian Association of Teachers
• Norwegian Psychological Association
• Norwegian Radiographers' Association
• Norwegian Nurses Organisation
• Social scientists
• Economists
• The Norwegian Union of Education
• Tekna - Norwegian Society of Science and Technology

Part A

Chapter I    Relationship and duration

§ 1-1      Relationship between parties

The main agreement applies between Virke and the union.

Section 1-2      Scope of application

The main agreement is the first part of all collective agreements that have been established between Virke and the union.

Section 1-3      Duration

This agreement, which comes into force on 1 January 2022, is valid until 31 December 2025 and further 2 years at a time unless one of the parties terminates it in writing with 3 - three months' notice.

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CHAPTER II   requirement for the establishment of a collective agreement

§2-1       Requirement for the establishment of a collective agreement/conditions for requiring a collective agreement

The union and Virke may - during the collective agreement period - demand that the collective agreement shall apply to member companies that have not been bound by a collective agreement between the organisations when the union organises 10 % or more of the permanent employees in the company.

If a collective agreement has previously been entered into in the enterprise with other organisations, and the union so requires, a collective agreement must be established if the union organises more than 10 % of the possible organisations in its union.

A collective agreement can be established regardless of the requirement for an organisation percentage where the parties agree on this.

Section 2-2      Date of effect

The agreement shall apply from the time the claim is received if the conditions for establishing an agreement are met. If the company is bound by another collective agreement when it joins Virke, this applies until it has been brought to expiry, unless the parties agree otherwise.

If, upon enrolment, the enterprise is bound by a collective agreement with another main agreement, Virke and the union may agree that the Basic Agreement Virke – the individual unions shall replace this from a time before the collective agreement has expired. 

Section 2-3      Transitional arrangements

If the transition to a new collective agreement entails changes in pay and working conditions, or differences in conditions among those who perform the same work, a transitional arrangement must be negotiated.

§ 2-4      Processing of claims for a collective agreement

1. A request for the implementation of an agreement pursuant to section 2.1 must be submitted in writing by the union or Virke.
2. Confirmation of the implementation of a collective agreement on behalf of Virke or the union must be given to the other party as soon as possible and within 1 month of receiving the claim.
3. If the claim is contested, cf. Section 2-1, negotiations shall be conducted between the union and Virke in order to resolve the dispute. The party who disputes the claim must at the same time request a negotiation meeting. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the meeting must be held within one month.

§ 2-5      Transition to a new collective agreement due to changed circumstances

If changes in the nature of production, the nature of the performance of the work or the working conditions mean that the collective agreement in force is no longer the one that best suits the company, either party may enter into negotiations to make the collective agreement that it is most natural to use. Disputes about which of two or more collective agreements can be invoked are decided by the Dispute Board.

§ 2-6      The Dispute Board

1. The Dispute Board shall consist of a representative from the union and Virke respectively and a neutral arbitrator appointed jointly by the parties. If the parties do not agree, the National Mediator appoints the arbitrator. The Tribunal's term of office shall follow the duration of the Basic Agreement.
   
   
2. The Tribunal shall make its decision on the basis of the guidelines set out in section 3. If the parties agree, the Tribunal may make its decision on the basis of written consideration.
   
   a) When choosing between several applicable collective agreements, the Tribunal shall make a decision on the merits of the agreement.
   
   b) If the Tribunal finds that none of the collective agreements invoked are applicable, the dispute will be dealt with pursuant to Section 6 (3) of the Labour Disputes Act.
   
   
3. When assessing the nature of the enterprise, its operation and working conditions and the nature and performance of the work shall be taken into account. The name of the enterprise shall not be decisive, as the Tribunal shall first and foremost aim to implement the collective agreement that is most natural for the enterprise in terms of production and industry.  

§ 2-7      Enterprises that withdraw from Virke / Transfer of responsibility

If a company bound by a collective agreement withdraws from Virke during the collective agreement period, Virke must notify the union of the withdrawal and the time of its withdrawal as soon as possible. A company that withdraws from Virke during the collective agreement period is still bound by the collective agreements that were in force at the time of the withdrawal (cf. Section 7 of the Labour Disputes Act).

In exceptional cases, the parties may agree to delete collective agreements for individual companies during the collective agreement period.

Section 2-8       Overview of undertakings bound by collective agreements

During the audit year, the union and Virke shall exchange overviews/lists as of 01.02. of collective bargaining enterprises.

Enterprises that are listed on the overview list as of 01.02. are covered by the same year's tariff revision, unless it appears from the lists that their membership in Virke ceases before the end of the collective agreement period.

For enterprises covered by a collective agreement that expires in the second half of the year, the corresponding date will be 2 months before the expiry date of the collective agreement.

Remark:
The list exchange will be carried out for the first time before the main settlement in 2024.

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CHAPTER III  The right of association, the duty of peace, the right to negotiate and the right to sue

§ 3-1      The right to organise

Virke and the union mutually recognise the employers' and employees' right to freedom of association.

§ 3-2      Duty of peace

Where a collective agreement has been established, a work stoppage or other industrial action must not take place during the agreement's period of validity.

§ 3-3      Handling of disputes

1.  Local treatment
Disputes about the understanding or validity of a collective agreement must first be resolved through local negotiations. Minutes of the negotiations will be drawn up. The views of the parties shall be stated in the minutes to be signed by both parties.

2. Central processing 
If a dispute is not resolved through negotiations in accordance with the above point, both parties may bring the dispute before Virke and the relevant union. Minutes of the negotiations will be drawn up. The views of the parties shall be stated in the minutes to be signed by both parties.

3. Deadline for negotiation meeting
A negotiation meeting must be held locally and centrally no later than 14 days after one of the parties has submitted a written request to do so.

Section 3-4      Right of action

A dispute about the understanding and validity of the collective agreement may be brought before the Labour Court if the parties do not agree to allow it to be settled by Arbitration. The arbitral tribunal is composed of 2 representatives from each of the parties and an arbitrator appointed by the National Mediator, if in some cases no agreement is reached on a different composition. Virke and the union have the right to sue under the agreement.

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Chapter IV  Conflicts

§ 4-1      Collective redundancies

In the event of a new or revision of the current collective agreement, the parties agree to accept as a valid redundancy notice exchanged between Virke and Forbundet. Both parties undertake to provide this information with at least 14 days' notice.

The form and content of the dismissal must be in accordance with Section 16 of the Labour Disputes Act.

Notice of resignation (the final scope of the resignation) must be given with at least 4 days' notice, and no later than in connection with a claim for termination of the mediation pursuant to Section 25 of the Labour Disputes Act.

Notice of an extension of the conflict shall also be given by each of the parties with at least 4 days' notice.

The parties agree that in connection with the exercise of the right to give notice and conduct industrial action, it may in some cases be necessary to exchange lists of names, including information on trade union membership.

§ 4-2      Agreements in the event of conflicts

Virke and the union will recommend that agreements be entered into at the individual enterprise that regulate conditions related to the termination and resumption of operations in a technically sound manner, as well as work that is necessary to avert danger to human life or significant material damage.

Any local agreements on this must be approved by Virke and the union. If no agreement is reached in local negotiations, the matter can be brought to Virke and the union for consideration.

§ 4-3      Sympathy actions

The provisions on the duty of peace in the collective agreements do not restrict the right of companies or employees to participate in a work stoppage that is implemented in support of another legal conflict, when consent has been given by Virke or the union.

Before consent is given, negotiations must be held between these organisations on the extension of the main conflict.

A negotiation meeting must be held within 4 days after a demand has been made.

The notice of work stoppage shall be as stipulated in Section 4-1.

In the event of a sympathy strike by members of Virke in support of employees at companies that are not affiliated with any employers' organisation, the notice period shall be 3 weeks.

If the union declares a sympathy strike among Virke members due to a conflict at a company that is not a member of Virke, the union must at the same time declare a sympathy strike at similar unorganised companies, if any. However, the number of employees included in the sympathy strike at the unorganised enterprises shall approximately correspond to the number of employees at the organised enterprises.

Virke and the union may agree on exemptions from this rule. 

The union's right to declare a sympathy strike at companies affiliated to Virke in support of claims against unorganised companies is dependent on the demands not going beyond Virke's collective agreements for similar companies.

Termination of employment pursuant to the rules in this section shall be unconditional unless the main conflict concerns the right to have the terms of employment stipulated in the form of a collective agreement in companies where at least half of the employees are organised in the union. If the purpose of the conflict is to protect the right to organize, the union has the right to use conditional dismissal regardless of the number of members.

§ 4-4      Political demonstrations

The Parties mutually recognise the right to initiate political demonstrations. It is a prerequisite that the purpose of the action is not to force changes in the collective bargaining arrangements.

Political demonstrations must be announced in advance. The person who calls for the action must notify the counterparty as early as circumstances allow, and also ensure that relevant union representatives and companies are notified. The notification must state the time of the action, its background and expected duration. The aim of the advance notice and any subsequent discussion is to give affected parties time and opportunity to adapt so that the action does not interfere with the ordinary operations of the enterprises to a greater extent than necessary.

The above provisions do not aim to change the legal situation created by the Labour Court's practice on political demonstrations.

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Chapter V   Special agreements

§ 5-1      Validity of the special agreement

Written special agreements on pay or working conditions entered into between the enterprise management and the employee representatives bind the parties until they have been brought to an end by written notice. However, this does not apply if the special agreements are in conflict with the collective agreement that has been established for the enterprise in an organisational manner.

§ 5-2      Termination of special agreements

The local parties must negotiate special agreements before dismissal takes place. Termination can still take place if negotiations are required and not reached within 8 days.

§ 5-3      Special agreements with a specific term

Special agreements with a specific term can be terminated with at least 1 month's notice before the expiry time, unless otherwise agreed. If the agreement is not terminated by the expiry time, the same notice period will continue to apply for 1 month at a time.

§ 5-4      Special agreements that apply until further notice

Special agreements that have been decided or assumed to apply until further notice can be terminated at any time with at least 1 month's notice, unless otherwise agreed.

Section 5-5      Special agreements that follow the enterprise's collective agreement

A special agreement that has been agreed or assumed shall apply for as long as the enterprise's collective agreement continues to apply for the next collective agreement period, if it has not been agreed upon by a collective agreement revision that the special agreement shall lapse or be amended.

If the special agreement has the same duration as the enterprise's collective agreement, local negotiations on the revision of the special agreement may be required during the collective agreement period.

If an agreement is not reached, the matter can be brought before the organisations; cf. Section 2-3 and 2-4 of the Basic Agreement . If an agreement is still not reached, each of the local parties may, with the same notice period as for the collective agreement, terminate the special agreement at the end of the collective agreement.

Section 5-6      Effect of expiry of a special agreement

When a special agreement expires after termination while the collective agreement still exists between the parties, the matters covered by the special agreement must be arranged on the basis of the provisions of the collective agreement.

Section 8 of the Labour Disputes Act applies correspondingly to the termination of special agreements that follow the enterprise's collective agreement. The pay and working conditions that follow from the special agreement therefore apply as long as negotiations and mediation on a new collective agreement are ongoing.

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Chapter VI  Employee Representatives

§ 6-1      Election of union representatives      

1. At each enterprise, union representatives shall be elected for the organized employees if the enterprise or employees so demand.

2. At each enterprise that has up to 25 organised employees in the union, 1 union representative may be elected to carry out the tasks set out in this agreement. A local agreement can be entered into between the various employee organisations on a joint union representative.

In the case of enterprises that have:

From	26 - 50	organised workers	2 union representatives
From	51 - 150	organised workers	3 union representatives
From	151 - 300	organised workers	4 union representatives
From	301 - 500	organised workers	6 union representatives
From	501 - 750	organised workers	8 union representatives
Above	750	organised workers	10 union representatives

It is possible to elect more employee representatives than mentioned above if a written agreement is entered into between the company and the staff of its employee representatives.

If an employee organisation has several local union representatives in an enterprise, a committee may be established by and among them.

If the size of the enterprise and the division into larger business units make it natural, other representation may be stipulated through a special agreement. When assessing such representation, the structure of the enterprise shall be taken into account.

§ 6-2      Who may be elected

Union representatives shall be elected from among recognised skilled employees of the enterprise, with experience and insight into its working conditions. As far as possible, they shall be chosen from among employees who have worked in the enterprise for the past two years.

Employees who have been made redundant cannot be elected. This does not apply to re-election.

Employees who are to be the employer's representative to a particular extent, such as an employee in a specially entrusted position as a senior manager within the enterprise, as a personal secretary to the management, or who are to represent the employer in negotiations about or in the decision on pay and working conditions for subordinate staff, should not be elected as a union representative.

Union representatives may not act in the role of union representative when there are special circumstances that are likely to weaken confidence in the union representative's impartiality, for example that the matter concerns one's own personal interests or the interests of someone with whom they have a personal connection.

§ 6-3      Information about the election

The enterprise must as soon as possible and no later than 8 days after the election receive written notification of who has been elected as union representatives and who is the manager.

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Chapter VII  Rights and obligations of employers and employee representatives

§ 7-1      Representation   of union representatives

The union representatives are approved as representatives of the employees in the enterprise who are organised in the union.

The employee representatives have the right and duty to deal with and seek to arrange amicably complaints that the individual employee believes they have against the company, or that the company believes it has against the individual employee.

§ 7-2      Employer's representation

The employer must have a responsible representative present on a daily basis to whom the employee representatives can turn. The employer must notify the employee representatives in writing of the name of the representative and his/her deputy.

If the representative is unable to make a decision immediately, but wishes to carry out further investigations, an answer shall be given without undue delay.

§ 7-3      Power of attorney 

The enterprise's representatives and employee representatives shall be authorised to conduct genuine negotiations/discussions.

§ 7-4      Objectives of the cooperation

The union representatives and the company's representatives have a duty to do their best to maintain a calm and good working relationship.

§ 7-5      Time for union representative work

The parties agree that the employee representatives shall be given the necessary time to perform their duties in accordance with the Basic Agreement. If one of the parties so wishes, local negotiations are conducted on an agreement on the time that the employee representative needs to carry out the work in the enterprise within ordinary working hours. It is assumed that normal salary is paid during this time.

The total time is adjusted according to the scope of the work. Local discussions may be held on whether the necessary equipped work room should be made available in order to facilitate the work of union representatives. The discussions shall take into account the enterprise's size, structure, form of operation, technical character, the wage form of the collective agreement, etc.

The local parties can seek guidance from their organisations.

§ 7-6      Remuneration for meetings  

For the time spent at locally agreed negotiation meetings, the union representatives shall be compensated for lost earnings when the meetings take place within their ordinary working hours.

§ 7-7      Meetings within trade unions

Union representatives in the enterprise and employees with positions of trust within the union shall not be denied leave of absence without compelling reason when they are summoned to meetings and negotiations by their organisation or are to participate in professional courses or other professional information activities, including professional delegations. Employees who are to be trained for positions of trust as mentioned above shall also be granted leave of absence to a reasonable extent when they are to participate in professional courses or other professional information activities.

A corresponding right to leave applies to training of up to one week's duration of employees' representatives in the enterprise's governing bodies. The elected representative must have covered lost earnings in connection with courses approved by the enterprise.

§ 7-8      Dismissal or dismissal of elected representatives

Dismissal or dismissal of union representatives cannot take place without reasonable cause. In addition to seniority and other reasons that are reasonable to take into account, emphasis shall be placed on the special position of the employee representatives in the enterprise.

In the event of individual dismissal of a union representative, a 3-month deadline must be given unless the Working Environment Act or employment contract gives the right to a longer deadline. This special deadline does not apply if the dismissal is due to the employee representative's own circumstances.

The provisions of Sections 15-1, 15-3 to 15-14 and Chapter 17 of the Working Environment Act apply correspondingly, however, so that if the union claims that the dismissal is unjustified, resignation shall not take place until the Labour Court's judgment has been delivered. In that case, the summons must be issued no later than 8 weeks after the notice of termination has been received.

If the enterprise is closed down, it is important that affected employees retain a union representative for as long as possible. The same applies when a bankrupt business continues to be run by the bankruptcy board with a view to winding up.

Before dismissal or dismissal of a union representative is made, the issue must be discussed with the union unless the person in question objects to it, or this will be offensive to others.

If union representatives or other employees have been dismissed or dismissed in the last 3 months prior to joining Virke, and it is claimed that this is due to a requirement for a collective agreement, the dispute shall be dealt with in accordance with the rules of the Basic Agreement. The same applies to disputes concerning the dismissal or dismissal of employee representatives in connection with a transfer or reorganisation of a business under company law, when the union claims that the dismissal or dismissal is contrary to Section 3-1 of the Basic Agreement.

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Chapter VIII Key union representatives

§ 8-1

The conditions shall be arranged in the best possible way to enable the central union representatives to perform their duties in the best possible way, and that reasonable career considerations are taken into account when returning to the enterprise after the end of their term of office as a union representative.

Chapter IX  Layoffs

§ 9-1      Conditions for layoffs

1. Layoffs can be made when there are objective reasons that make it necessary for the business.
2. In the event of layoffs beyond 6 months, the necessity of continued layoffs must be discussed with the employee representatives.
3. In the event of layoffs, seniority may be waived when there is a factual reason.
4. When assessing who is to be laid off, emphasis shall be placed on the special tasks of the employee representatives in the enterprise.

§ 9-2      Duty to confer before giving notice

Before notice is given, the elected representatives shall be consulted in accordance with Chapter X. Minutes shall be drawn up from the conference and signed by the parties. The notice period in section 9-3 no. 1 and no. 2 does not run until after the conference has been held. A requirement for a negotiation meeting because seniority has been deviated from, or because the enterprise follows different rules than at the time of implementation in the event of reinstatement, does not mean that layoffs or reinstatement are postponed.

§ 9-3      Notice of lay-off

1. Layoffs are given with 14 days' notice.
2. In the event of layoffs due to such unforeseen events as mentioned in aml.  Section 15-3 (10) is notified 2 days, in the event of a fire 14 days.
3. The notice runs from the end of working hours on the day it is given.
4. The deadlines do not apply when a conflict in another enterprise or a collective bargaining conflict in one's own enterprise or legitimised absence results in the employee not being able to be employed in a rational manner. However, the company is obliged to give the notice that is possible.
5. The deadlines do not apply if a collective agreement or work regulations allow for shorter notice.
6. If the enterprise lays off employees without meeting the notice deadline, the employees must be paid ordinary salary until the deadline expires. In the event of layoffs as mentioned in paragraph 2, ordinary hourly wages are paid.

Section 9-4      Form and content of the notification

1. The notice is given in writing to the individual employee unless the local parties agree otherwise.
   
   
2. In the event of conditional layoffs pursuant to Section 9-5, the notice may be given by means of an advertisement in the enterprise. Employees who are temporarily absent are notified in an appropriate manner.
   
   
3. The notice must state the likely length of the layoff. If this is not possible, continued layoffs must be discussed with the union representatives within 1 month at the latest and then every month if nothing else is agreed. This includes continuously assessing whether the conditions for layoffs are present or whether redundancies must be carried out.
   
   
4. Employees who are laid off must receive written proof from their employer. The certificate must state the reason for the layoff and the likely length of the layoff.
   
   
5. If an unconditional written notice has been given that meets the above requirements for content, this also applies as a layoff certificate.

Section 9-5      Conditional notice

In the event of a conflict in one's own business, the notification shall, as far as possible, state which employees may be laid off, and the individual shall be notified as far in advance as possible.

§ 9-6      Termination during lay-off

The rules in section 9 do not prevent the employer or employee from terminating the employment relationship in accordance with otherwise applicable rules.

Section 9-7      Special provisions

1. When an employee is laid off, the obligation to pay sick pay runs for as long as it exists according to the law, but only as long as the employee is not in other work.
2.  Section 9-3 does not entail any change in the customary right to lay off due to weather obstacles.

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Chapter X   Information, cooperation and co-determination

§ 10-1    Objective

The union and Virke agree on the necessity of a good and trusting relationship between the company and the employees.

Through co-determination and cooperation, the employees shall, with their experience and insight, help create the financial conditions for the company's continued development, and for safe and good working conditions for the benefit of both the company and employees.

The objectives of this chapter are binding with regard to cooperation in the enterprise and shall also serve as a guide for the parties in the individual enterprise in the organisation of the cooperation.

§ 10-2    Facilitation for cooperation and co-influence

It is a joint duty of the company's management, the employees and their elected representatives, to take the initiative and actively support and contribute to cooperation. In this connection, it is pointed out that it is necessary for the enterprise management to devote sufficient time, resources and attention to information and discussions.

In enterprises where the cooperation works satisfactorily, the established forms of cooperation will continue to be built. In cases where there may be a need to improve the cooperation conditions/information methodology, the parties will recommend that consideration be given to how this can be done. This can be done, for example, by the management and employee representatives holding one or more meetings per year, where the main task is to discuss matters of significant importance to the parties.

The enterprise convenes such meetings well in advance so that the parties are given the opportunity to submit matters to the agenda. It can also be formalised that, for example, once a quarter, the company's situation is discussed in areas such as finances, production, sales, business cycles, projects, service performance, etc.

The parties also emphasise the special position of the union representatives in the event of cutbacks, reorganisations and layoffs.

§ 10-3    Discussions in activities

1. At the earliest possible time, the company must discuss with the union's union representatives:
   
   a) Issues relating to the economic and production status and development of the enterprise.
   b) Restructuring and reorganisations that will have an impact on the union's members and their working conditions.
   c) Employment, including plans for expansions and reductions.
   d) Changes in the enterprise's ownership, ownership structure or company form.
   
   In such cases, the employee representatives must be informed of the reason for the disposition and the legal, financial and work-related consequences the disposition is assumed to entail for the employees.
   
   
2. Before the enterprise makes decisions on matters that have an impact on employment and working conditions, the employee representatives shall have the opportunity to present their views. If the enterprise finds that it cannot take into account the statements of the employee representatives, it shall justify its view. Minutes of the discussion meetings must be drawn up.
   
   
3. The enterprise's accounts must be submitted to the employee representatives upon request. The annual accounts must be presented to the employee representatives as soon as they are available.
   
   
4. In the event of the introduction of payroll systems in the enterprise that require knowledge of financial matters of importance to the system, the employee representatives shall have the right to access that enables this.

§ 10-4    Discussions in groups    

The parties agree that there is a need to discuss matters mentioned in this chapter on a group basis.

In groups where the cooperation works satisfactorily, the established forms of cooperation will continue to be built.

In those groups where there may be a need to improve the working conditions/information methodology, the parties will recommend that consideration be given to how this can be done.

This can be done, for example, by the corporate management and the union's local union representatives and other groups of employees with similar interests holding one or more joint meetings per year, where the main task is to discuss matters of significant importance to the parties.

In enterprises where an agreement on cooperation has been established at group level, plans for expansions, reductions or restructuring that may have a significant impact on employment in several enterprises within the same group shall be discussed as early as possible in joint meetings between the group management and the union's local union representatives and other groups of employees with similar interests from the enterprises concerned; in the same way as it is done with other employee groups in the enterprise.

If, pursuant to another Basic Agreement within the Virke area, a meeting is held regarding issues relating to the Group's financial and production position and development, a corresponding meeting may be required to be held with the union's local union representatives.

The parties are expected to find appropriate representation arrangements for such a meeting.

The meeting may include other groups with similar interests.

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Chapter XI  Remuneration/deductions from salary

§ 11-1    Remuneration

The enterprise makes statutory deductions such as tax, social security benefits, etc., and deductions that the employee/enterprise agrees on by written agreement.

On payday, the employee receives a slip from the employer stating the salary calculation, gross amount, deductions made and net salary amount transferred to the employer's bank connection.

The employer's bank connection makes joint deductions or other deductions according to a statement from the enterprise or from the employee himself.

The net salary amount minus deductions made by the bank is deposited into the employee's salary account and must be available to him/her on the payday.

If the employee wants this salary account to be opened in a bank other than the employer's bank connection, this is arranged by the enterprise or employee notifying the bank that such a transfer is to be made.

The more detailed details regarding payment via bank are stipulated in a special agreement that is established between the individual enterprise and his/her bank connection.

§ 11-2    Deduction of trade union fees

Where the enterprise has chosen to allow payment to be made via a bank, union representatives may demand that the membership fee to the union be deducted from the members' salaries either by the enterprise's bank connection or directly by the enterprise. The deduction must be based on a written authorisation from the individual.

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Part B    Framework agreements

1. Skills development, increased education and leave in this regard

1.1 Introduction

Virke and the union acknowledge the great importance of increased education for the individual, the development of the business and society. This applies to general education, vocational education, adult education, continuing education, further education and retraining.

The parties would therefore like to emphasise the value of encouraging employees to increase their knowledge and strengthen their skills, and that companies place great emphasis on systematic training of their employees, through external or internal offers.

Restructuring and stronger competition require strengthened competence development in the enterprises. Competitiveness requires a high level of professional competence at all levels. Only competitive businesses can provide secure jobs. The training is particularly important for the company's adaptability and competitiveness.

The future of businesses will depend on the maintenance and development of employees' skills. It will therefore be of great importance for the enterprises, the employees and society that the enterprises have a high professional level.

Competence-enhancing measures can take place through daily work, the use of internal and external courses, self-study and conferences.

The company and the individual employee, individually and jointly, have a responsibility to safeguard competence development.

It is the responsibility of the agencies to assess the need for expertise. This should be done as far as possible through local discussions. The employer is encouraged to prepare plans for competence-enhancing measures within the company's objectives.

1.2 Continuing and further education

Continuing and further education is a particularly important tool in the development of the company's competitiveness. The development of competence through continuing and further education must be based on the company's current and future needs. This must be based on the company's goals for its business.

Continuing education refers to the maintenance of competence within the current position, while further education includes qualification for new and more qualified tasks in the company.

1.3 Documentation of prior learning

Companies are encouraged to have a system for documenting the individual's experience, courses and practice in the employment relationship.

1.4 Leave of absence for education

a) If, in connection with continuing or further education, cf. section 2, full or partial leave is necessary, this should be granted unless special reasons prevent it.

b) An employee who has been in working life for at least three years and who has been employed by the employer for the last two years is entitled to educational leave in accordance with the AML.  Section 12-11.

c) When processing such a leave application, all employees or groups of employees shall be assessed according to the same criteria, including with regard to any financial support.

d) Applications for leave of absence must be submitted as early as possible and should be answered within 3 weeks. If the application is rejected, this must be justified.

e) When granting educational leave, a written agreement should be entered into before the leave begins, inter alia regarding:

• Duration of leave
• resumption of work after the end of the leave, and
• resumption after any interruption of the education.

If such an agreement has not been entered into, the following applies:

When an employee returns to the enterprise after completing education of up to 2 years' duration, the employee is entitled, if this is practically possible, to a job that is equivalent to what he or she had before the education began.

Employees who are on educational leave and who discontinue their education have the right to return to work in the company as soon as this is practically possible.

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2. Computer-based systems

With reference to Section 4-2, paragraph 1 of the Working Environment Act, and on the basis that there is a "Framework Agreement" in this area for other groups in the enterprises, it was agreed to recommend that the parties in the individual enterprise seek to find appropriate forms of cooperation with all groups in the enterprise that are affected by the matters dealt with in Section 1 of the Working Environment Act  4-2, paragraph 1.

The parties also discussed the storage, processing and use of personal data, also on the basis of the Personal Data Act and regulations, and agreed that where there are instructions or the like for this, employee representatives are informed of the content. Where there are no regulations, instructions, etc., these are prepared in cooperation with the employee representatives.

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3. Declaration on the application and development of technology in the individual enterprise

The parties will seek closer cooperation on internal business matters, the situation for the members of the union and their participation in the company's further development.

It is in the interest of employees, businesses and society that companies improve their ability to acquire, use and develop technology to promote the company's competitiveness.

The parties agree that the development of the company's technological environment must take place through cooperation between the employees and the company. Key topics in this regard are:

• Technological development
• Competence development
• Organizational development

In order to identify problems and find appropriate working methods and methods for the development work, it may be useful to hold meetings between the enterprise management and representatives of the employees in different departments and functional areas in the enterprise. Once any problem areas have been mapped, it may be appropriate to organise further work in project or working groups in order to analyse the problems and present proposals for action plans or concrete measures that can be implemented.

The development measures will vary from company to company adapted to the individual company's situation and needs.

The management of the enterprise and the employees of the individual enterprise must jointly identify the areas that should be prioritised. The parties to this agreement will be able to provide advice and guidance in this work. On the basis of the demands for restructuring that will be placed on the employees as a result of new technology, it is recommended that the parties at the local level find appropriate forms of cooperation with particular emphasis on issues related to training and development opportunities for the members of the union.

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4. Agreement on control measures in the company

The parties refer to Chapter 9 of the Working Environment Act on control measures in the enterprise. Questions about needs, design and introduction and significant changes to control measures shall be discussed with the employee representatives.

The enterprise shall keep the employees, through their employee representatives, informed of plans and work in the area, so that they can make their views known as early as possible and before the enterprise's decision.

Control measures may be based on technological, economic, safety and health circumstances. as well as other social and organisational conditions in the business. Control measures that are introduced must not go beyond the scope that is necessary, and must be objectively justified by the individual company's activities and needs. Employees or groups of employees shall be placed on an equal footing when implementing control measures.

Before measures are implemented, the enterprise management and the employee representatives must individually and jointly contribute to ensuring that the employees receive information about the purpose of the measures, the practical consequences, including how it will be implemented, and the assumed duration of the measure.

To the extent that personal data is processed through control measures, issues related to storage period, storage, deletion, etc. must be discussed with the employee representatives and clarified in accordance with the Personal Data Act and associated regulations.

At regular intervals, the parties shall evaluate implemented control measures. If one of the parties in the individual enterprise so wishes, an application shall be made to establish a local agreement on the design and implementation of the enterprise's control measures, as well as their area of use. If no agreement is reached, either party may bring the matter before the parties to the main agreement.

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5. Gender equality and discrimination in working life

I. Introduction

The parties to the main agreement (hereinafter referred to as the parties) share a common goal of equal working life, and have a common obligation/ensure to work to promote equality and prevent discrimination in working life. The parties' work to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination is rooted in legislation and agreements, as well as international conventions and directives.

The parties take seriously the fact that discrimination and obstacles to gender equality can be a challenge in working life, and through this agreement will emphasise a shared responsibility to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination in working life.

The parties note that:

• The work to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination concerns attitudes and norms.
• The work to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination requires cooperation between management and employee representatives.
• Gender equality requires that one sees the connection between working life, family life and social life.
• The work to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination must be set out in strategy and planning documents.

The parties will provide support for local efforts to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination in the enterprise. This can be done, for example, through professional guidance, preparing information material, arranging courses/conferences or making speakers available.

hillside. The local work

The responsibility for the work to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination lies with the company's management and board.

The parties agree that this agreement shall form the basis for cooperation between the employees, their elected representatives and the management in the company's statutory work to promote equality and prevent discrimination.

The employer and employee representatives have a joint responsibility to promote equality and to prevent discrimination.

The employees and their elected representatives must have a real say in the work. Cooperation and participation must be adapted to the nature, size, actual management structure, etc.

The employer and the employee representatives shall, through cooperation, information and discussion, contribute to promoting gender equality and preventing discrimination on the basis of gender, pregnancy, maternity leave and adoption, care tasks, ethnicity, religion, life stance, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or a combination of these grounds. The local parties shall also seek to prevent harassment, sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

The local parties shall place particular emphasis on measures for:

• Promoting equal pay and preventing gender-based pay gaps
• Opportunities to promote full-time culture
• Organisation of working hours that promotes gender equality and the possibility of combining work with family life
• That employees are assigned tasks for which they are qualified on an equal footing, regardless of gender or other grounds for discrimination
• That employees are given equal opportunities for promotion and development in the company regardless of gender or other grounds for discrimination
• To promote more diversity at all levels of the business
• Facilitation of the workplace to promote equality and prevent discrimination
• Preventing and preventing harassment and sexual harassment

The parties do not regulate the content further, as this will be in the legislation in force at any given time.

The employer and the employee representatives can enter into a local agreement on the way in which the cooperation is organised. The parties to the enterprise may request assistance from Virke and the unions in the formulation of local agreements.

III. Right to negotiate and obligation to negotiate

Disputes concerning the interpretation of this Framework Agreement and the local agreements on equality and prevention of discrimination are dealt with in accordance with Section 3-3 of the Basic Agreement.

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Activity programme with the aim of promoting gender equality and preventing discrimination

Introduction

The main agreement, Framework Agreement 5 "Equality and discrimination in working life", stipulates that the parties share a common goal of equal working life and have a common obligation/ensure to work for equality and prevent discrimination in working life.

The parties have agreed on a joint programme of activities with measures in several areas to follow up on the objectives:

Programme of activities

Through active action, Virke and the unions will take responsibility for bringing about changes, both structurally and culturally, through the following activities/measures:

A working life with equality and diversity - without discrimination

• The parties will work actively to promote gender equality and diversity in working life, and to combat discrimination on the basis of gender, pregnancy, maternity leave and adoption, care responsibilities, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or a combination of these grounds.
• The parties will work to ensure that union representatives and employers have knowledge of laws and agreements that apply to protection against discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment.
• The parties will work to ensure that union representatives and employers have knowledge of laws and agreements that apply to facilitation for employees who are entitled to it.

Together against sexual harassment

• Virke and the unions will work to ensure that measures against sexual harassment become part of the active, preventive work on the working environment and gender equality in the companies.
• Virke and the unions will support local or industry-specific initiatives to prevent and prevent sexual harassment.

Local agreements and projects on equality and non-discrimination

• If the local parties wish to draw up an agreement on the work on gender equality and non-discrimination in the enterprise, or wish to initiate specific measures to promote equality and counteract discrimination, Virke and the unions can assist through advice.

Working life – family policy

• Virke and the unions will work for a parental leave scheme that promotes gender equality.
• Virke and the unions will work for a family policy that balances consideration for family and working life, and which aims to ensure equal attachment to working life for both parents.

Equal pay

• Virke and the unions will work to counteract pay differences related to gender, follow up any measures initiated in the collective wage settlements, and provide information and guidance to members and union representatives on pay surveys.

Full-time/part-time

• Virke and the unions will work for a full-time culture, adapted to the parties' wishes and needs locally.
• Virke and the unions will work to increase awareness and attitudes about the importance of full-time work for productivity, skills development, and income throughout the life course.

Gender equality in educational and career choices

• Virke and the unions will work to counteract gender differences in educational and career choices.
• The Virke unions will support local or industry-specific initiatives/projects that will promote recruitment and equality of the underrepresented gender.

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6. Part-time work

1. Virke and the union agree that the ever-increasing use of part-time work poses a challenge for the social partners. It is therefore important that all collective agreements contain provisions on part-time work.
   
   
2. a) The collective agreements should contain provisions on pay, working and employment conditions for part-time employees.
   2. b) Provisions are incorporated into the collective agreements on definitions of what constitutes additional work and overtime.
   
   
3. The parties assume that collective agreements treat full-time and part-time employees on an equal footing in line with Council Directive 97/81 EC (the Part-Time Directive).

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