– It will have quite immediate consequences – E24

The ship technology company has several companies in western Norway. Among other things, the Leirvik shipyard in Sogn.

– We have people coming next Friday, so this will have consequences for the progress of the projects quite immediately, Frank-Levi Kvalsund, Havyard’s senior vice president, tells E24.

The shipyard in western Norway says they are completely reliant on foreign labor on an equal footing with the rest of the industry.

– If this persists, it will be a big problem. Now we have to find solutions with the ones we already have here, but they have a turn and will eventually return to their family themselves, says Kvalsund.

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Kleven: – Very challenging

The Kleven shipyard has 40 percent of its workers from abroad, and the top manager followed the government press conference when E24 called.

– We are dependent on recruitment, and this can be a big challenge if it lasts a long time, says Green Yard Kleven CEO Kjetil Bollestad.

Expect it to open for a more controlled entry as soon as possible.

– They will feel it in two weeks, says Bollestad who says that they will manage in the short term, and hopefully they will make some of the workers who are already in the country stay a little longer.

– Was there an entry ban among the measures you feared coming?

– I was afraid of it, but at the same time I would think that the Norwegian shipyards have taken responsibility for the crisis as far as incoming workers are concerned, and I hoped that we would not have needed such a measure.

Kleven primarily hires shipyard employees from the Baltic countries and other service employees from all over Europe.

Continuous need

– We have an ongoing need to be able to bring in suppliers, service personnel and other types of skilled workers, says Hege Akselvoll, Vard’s communications manager, to E24.

The company operates, among other things, in three shipyards in Søviknes, Brattvåg and Langsten.

– Most likely, the measures will not affect us if it is only these two weeks, but the consequences will depend on the duration of the measure, says Akselvoll.

– dramatically

NHO chief Ole-Erik Almlid describes the new austerity measures as “very intrusive.”

– This can have dramatic consequences for the business community if it lasts. If it is limited to two weeks, most companies are ready to do it, even if this has short-term consequences, he explains to E24.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced Wednesday night that the measures will be reconsidered in two weeks, but that the measures may be extended.

– Both companies and workplaces will struggle if this takes too long. It will have dramatic consequences, but it will work out if it is limited to two weeks. Still, it can still be difficult for many, Almlid says.

The head of the NHO now emphasizes that the workforce that was initially going to leave the country in the coming weeks should receive a waiver to stay in Norway longer.

– Here the dialogue must be good. Now it is a question of adapting, he tells E24.

Tourism is also being hit hard by government restrictions.

– The closing of borders is the latest of several restrictions that make it impossible for tourism to function normally, Astrid Bergmål, director of Virke Reiseliv, tells E24.

He points out that constantly new restrictions emphasize the need for aid measures for tourism and other businesses.

– The longer this situation lasts, the more important it becomes with massive and precise measurements, says Bergmål.