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Companies such as Equinor and Kaefer must take greater responsibility to stop unscrupulous players, according to union officials. LO’s advisor wants wage theft in the penal code.
Aftenposten recently wrote about North Sea worker John Inge Tveiten (left), who was waiting for a salary of 190,000 crowns from the staffing agency he worked for. Private
This weekend, Aftenposten reported on the IMO Offshore recruitment agency. They blamed the previous owners and the crown for deducting wages and withholding vacation pay.
While more than 80 employees waited for several million, the management launched new companies. There, the new employees are now waiting for payment.
Fellesforbundet and LO believe that the employees have been subjected to “gross salary theft”.
John Henrik Grinde Larsen is a former president of the company. He says management thought there was a written agreement when the moves were made.
He says the company struggled with liquidity in the winter of 2020. Management did what it could to save the company, he argues.
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– Theft of gross wages, create the union
– The responsibility lies with the clients
Bjørn Arne Mjåseth is a shop steward at Vinde Tilkomstteknikk. The company operates in the same industry as IMO Offshore.
It is clear who is responsible for allowing unscrupulous actors to emerge:
– There are companies that buy services from this type of company. Like Equinor and Kaefer Energy, Mjåseth tells Aftenposten.
By using dishonest providers, they help lower the terms for the serious ones, you think.
– The responsibility is of the companies that focus on the price when they have staff, and not on what type of company they buy services from.
Will eliminate dishonest actors
One of IMO Offshore’s biggest clients was Kaefer Energy. The company performs the maintenance of the oil platforms, the so-called ISO works. ISO is an abbreviation for Insulation, Scaffolding, and Surface Treatment.
Thorbjørn Jensen is director of human resources for Kaefer Energy. He says they have good routines for detecting deviations.
– We and our shop stewards have a common interest in eliminating dishonest actors, he says.
Jensen confirms that Kaefer Energy used IMO Offshore as a supplier for several years.
It says that IMO Offshore is committed to treating its employees the same way that Kaefer Energy treats its employees.
Kaefer Energy’s Thorbjørn Jensen says the company is interested in eliminating rogue players in its supply chain. Kaefer energy
Did random sampling
As early as 2017, Kaefer Energy employees reported rule violations at IMO Offshore.
Jensen says management continued to audit the company.
Plus, he says they keep track of all of their suppliers with random samples of payroll and labor agreements.
Since 2017, they have taken 11 random samples against IMO Offshore, says Jensen.
None of the inspections revealed deviations that would give cause to terminate the lease, it adds.
Kvaerner: No documentation found
Kvaerner has also had an agreement with IMO Offshore for a period. He hired five people. This is what communications director Odd Naustdal says at Kvaerner.
He writes in an SMS to Aftenposten that the company at one point investigated the case. They did so on the basis of accusations by union delegates about non-payment of wages.
They found no documentation on the accusations. However, he decided not to extend the contract that expired on March 31, Naustdal writes.
Equinor: clear expectation
“Equinor has a clear expectation through our contracts and supplier’s statement that suppliers follow the laws, regulations, and agreements that apply where we conduct our operations,” writes communications manager Fredrik Jebsen Bråten at Equinor in a email to Aftenposten.
It adds that the same applies to international standards on wages and working conditions.
“We follow up through regular meetings and checks with suppliers,” writes Bråten.
LO adviser and Labor politician Jonas Bals believes the Aftenposten disclosure shows the need to include wage theft in the penal code. Here with Labor leader Jonas Gahr Støre. Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix
You want salary theft in the penal code
Jonas Bals is an advisor to LO and a Deputy Representative of the Labor Party in the Storting.
Now it demands changes.
– Employee rights must be strengthened. The same must run the risk of the employer. Wage theft must be included in the criminal code, Bals told Aftenposten.
You think it must be harder to back down with the help of complicated business structures, bankruptcies, and creative contracts.
– A power study is needed for working life. All of these things need to be seen in context, says Bals.
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