Norway: Termination of employment

Original author: Kjerstin Falkum Løvik, Arntzen de Besche
Updating author: Nina Thjømøe, Littler Norway

See the legal services provided by the updating author of International > Norway, including any discounts/offers for subscribers.

Summary

• Employment contracts may be terminated in various ways. (See General)
• Save in the case of summary dismissal, employees are entitled to a statutory minimum notice period. (See Notice periods)
• Employers may dismiss employees only if the dismissal is "objectively justified" on the basis of circumstances relating to the organisation, the employer or the employee. (See Grounds for dismissal with notice)
• The employer may summarily dismiss without notice an employee who is guilty of a gross breach of duty or other serious breach of the employment contract. (See Summary dismissal)
• Before deciding to dismiss an employee either with notice or summarily, the employer must, to the extent practically possible, consult with the employee and the employee's elected representatives, unless the employee does not desire this. (See Dismissal procedures)
• There is no statutory requirement for employers to provide any severance or redundancy payments on terminating an employee's contract, although it is customary to provide severance payments in connection with workforce reductions or redundancies. (See Severance compensation)
• An employee who wishes to claim that a dismissal is invalid, or to seek compensation on these grounds, has a right to demand negotiations with the employer, and may bring a case in the district court. (See Contesting dismissals)
• An employee who has been lawfully dismissed is entitled to a written reference from the employer. (See Right to a reference)