2025-11-04 07:30
publication
2025-11-04 07:30
Anders Opedal, president of the Norwegian fuel giant Equinor, admitted on Monday that violations of the law by intermediaries in employing workers from Poland are “unacceptable”. For the head of the Fellesforbundet trade union, asked by PAP, this answer from the company is insufficient.
Opedal admitted that he was most concerned about the fact that Polish employees were afraid to report problems. They could easily lose their jobs as a result, especially those employed by intermediaries in the construction of Equinor's flagship investment – the Melkoeya gas liquefaction installation in the far north of Norway.
“I would like anyone who reports irregularities to feel safe in my company” – he said in an interview with the Norwegian daily VG published on Monday.
He also admitted that the largest fuel company in Norway does not plan to independently check the contracts of employees employed by subcontractors.
“It is up to subcontractors to prove that all contracts are legal” – said Opedal.
This decision attracted criticism from lawyers and trade unions, who said that the illegal nature of the contracts was clearly visible and that Equinor should verify this itself.
Hege Skulstad Espe, secretary general of Fellesforbundet, the largest trade union of private sector workers in Norway, rejected the explanations of Equinor's president.
– The company is obliged to take care of health, environment and safety – this is their basic responsibility. Therefore, it is difficult for me to understand that they would withdraw from this obligation, Espe told PAP.
A week ago, the Norwegian daily “VG” revealed that the employment contracts of several dozen Poles working on the Melkoya project were inconsistent with Norwegian law.. The intermediaries who employed them allegedly settled their working time and concluded short-term contracts, even though their employment was permanent, and did not pay them the right amount for overtime.
From Oslo Mieszko Czarnecki (PAP)
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