Terms of employment

The terms of employment for academic staff at Norwegian Universities are regulated by laws and collective agreements.

Central regulations in the employment contract
You will find a fuller set of rules covering this subject matter at the following addresses:

• The State Personnel Handbook (in Norwegian)
• The main tariff agreement in the State (in Norwegian)
• The Working Environment Act
• The Equality Gender Act ( 9.6. 1978 No. 45)
• The Holidays Act
  

Norwegian language training
The teaching language will normally be Norwegian. The employees must normally be able to teach in Norwegian or one of the other Scandinavian languages within two years of his/her appointment. The newly hired employees and their spouses/cohabitants are entitled to attend Norwegian language courses arranged by UiB.

For further details on Norwegian language training see our information on Norwegian as a Second Language.

Teaching experience
Teaching experience is a requirement. The newly hired employee will be offered appropriate training if this requirement has not been met before the appointment.

Gender Equality
UiB is determined to be a front-runner in the area of gender equality and we are working to achieve significant results. In our action plan for gender equality we have set the goal of achieving a proportion of 50 per sent women in all new academic positions during the next three years. Read more about goals and measures in our Action Plan for Gender Equality (pdf-file).

Working hours
Standard working hours at the university are 40 hours per week including 1/2 hour meal break per day. Working hours are from 08.00 - 16.00.

For office and administrative personnel working hours are 37.5 hours per week including a 20 minute meal break with obligation not to leave the work place.

Flexible working hours have been introduced for some of the Faculties, and all the Faculty Secretariats, Central Administration and the University Library.

Work during the Christmas and Easter holidays
On weekdays between Christmas and New Year's Eve and in the Easter week, regular working hours apply.

On Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and on the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday, the working hours are until 12.00.

Any employee can, regardless of accumulated extra hours and independently of ordinary holidays, be permitted to take either Christmas or New Year's Eve off and, in addition, an entire day between Christmas and New Year's Eve, as long as this does not cause any inconvenience for the department.

Additional time off in connection with Christmas, Easter, winter sports and half-term holidays must be taken from accumulated holidays.

Holidays
Employees under 60 years of age, who work a 5 day working week, have the right to 25 working days holidays, while employees over 60 years have the right to an additional 5 days holiday.

Employees over age 60 are free to decide when to take their extra holiday week, unless otherwise agreed upon. This extra holiday can be taken as consecutive days or as one or more days at a time.

The employee holiday schedule is jointly decided by the employer and the employee. The employee is entitled to having his/her holiday schedule set as early as possible, and no later than two months prior to the scheduled holiday, unless there are good reasons that might hinder such information-sharing. If no agreement can be reached as to when the holiday can be taken, the decision rests with the employer, who is also responsible for preparing holiday schedules and making these known to the employees.

The employer and the employee (on 5 days working week) can enter into an agreement regarding transfer of holiday entitlement from one holiday year to the next. A total of 14 days (work days) can be transferred.

The holiday year is the same as the calendar year. The holiday accruement year is the year prior to the holiday year.

Holiday pay is calculated on the basis of the wages paid in the holiday accruement year (holiday pay basis). Holiday pay is paid out in June in the holiday year. Employees who have not earned the right to holiday pay may take holidays without pay.

Absence through illness
Absence through illness must be notified to the employer as soon as possible.

Employees who have been employed for at least two months can use the self-notification form when the absence through illness is for up to 8 calendar days in a 16 day period. The self-declaration can be used for up to 24 days during a 12 month period.

If absence through illness in a 16 day period exceeds a total of 8 days a doctor's certificate (sick note) must be produced for the part of the absence in excess of 8 days.

In order to qualify for sick pay, the employee must have commenced work in his/her position.

An employee with day to day care for children under 12 years has the right to up to 10 days leave of absence with pay per calendar year for necessary supervision of the ill child or when the daily child minder is ill. If the employee cares for three or more children he/she has the right to up to 15 days. The number of days will be doubled if you are a single parent.

Leave of absence
The general leave of absence arrangements in the State also apply to employees at the University of Bergen.

For employees in scientific positions, Rules on Sabatticals (in Norwegian) apply in particular.

Probationary period -
(Tjenestemannslovens § 8)
The probationary period is six (6) months and shall be made known to the employee in writing.

The probationary period should be actively used to evaluate how the employee adapts himself/herself to his/her tasks, the employee's professional competence and reliability, and the employer's follow-up activities. The employer shall during the probationary period, provide the necessary guidance and evaluation of the employee's work.

Read more about this here.

Term of notice
A public servant always has the right to terminate his/her employment. During the trial period the period of notice (the first six months) is three weeks. If the term of service is one year or less the period of notice is one month. If the term of service exceeds one year the period of notice is three months.

Wages and Salaries -terms and conditions
Wages and salaries are fixed in accordance with the State Regulative as stipulated in the main tariff agreement. The positions are either placed in a wage frame or directly allocated to a stipulated wage level.

Payday is the 12th of each calendar month.

Wage increments
Higher wages can be attained through either service seniority adjustments or wage negotiations. A pre-condition for service seniority adjustments is that your position is classified in a wage framework. Wages that are stipulated directly cannot be adjusted through such increments.

General increments or increments that apply to the whole group of positions are a result of central negotiations under the main tariff settlement with the state.

Personal increments are negotiated at the University of Bergen. In order to be considered in the local negotiations, you must notify your labour union of your claim, and the union will negotiate on your behalf with the employer.

List of unions (in Norwegian).