Historic win for Norway's part-time workers sparks employer backlash

"For years, Kaldal worked part-time and took on extra shifts to cover his expenses, but he received regular pay only after working more than 37.5 hours in a week. The Sndre stfold District Court decided that this practice constituted illegal discrimination. Citing EU rules on part-time work, the court said part-time employees should receive overtime pay for every hour they work beyond their agreed contract."

"This is a big victory for everyone who works part-time, because it will no longer be profitable for employers to hire people on small contracts and then let them work more. The free time of a part-time employee is worth just as much as that of a full-time employee."

"Norway's largest employer groups, NHO and Spekter, responded quickly and directly. Within a day of the ruling, both advised their member companies to stop offering extra shifts to current part-time staff. They argue that if part-time workers now get overtime pay from the first extra hour, it will cost more than hiring a temporary or on-call worker."

Andre Kaldal won a legal case against his employer Coop Bygg after years of working part-time with extra shifts but receiving regular pay only after 37.5 hours weekly. The Sndre stfold District Court ruled this practice constituted illegal discrimination under EU part-time work rules, requiring overtime pay for all hours beyond contracted agreements. Kaldal received 205,000 kroner in compensation, and labour unions celebrated the breakthrough. However, Norway's major employer groups NHO and Spekter responded by advising member companies to cease offering extra shifts to part-time staff, arguing that overtime pay requirements make temporary workers more cost-effective than part-time employees working additional hours.

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