Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1995, published 82nd ILC session (1995)

Nursing Personnel Convention, 1977 (No. 149) - Norway (Ratification: 1989)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its first report. It requests the Government to supply further information on the following points.

Article 1 of the Convention. The Committee notes that the practice of nursing is not an activity protected by law. However, the law regulates the use of the title "public certified nurse" or "public certified auxiliary nurse". The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether there are categories of nursing personnel which are not covered by the law in either the public or private sectors, such as uncertified nursing personnel or nursing personnel who give nursing care and services on a voluntary basis.

Article 2, paragraph 2(b). The Government states that the conditions of work and employment of nursing personnel are a matter for negotiation between the social partners at both the central and local levels. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the particular measures which have been a matter of negotiation or other adoption procedures with a view to ensuring conditions of employment and work of nursing personnel in the public and private sectors, including career prospects and remuneration, which are in accordance with these provisions of the Convention and are likely to attract persons to the profession and retain them in it. Please also supply copies of some examples of collective agreements covering nursing personnel.

Article 3, paragraph 2. The Committee notes from the Government's report that the admission requirements for nursing education and training are coordinated and that the Ministry of Health encourages coordination between the training programmes provided by the health and the social service colleges. Please indicate the means used (the institutional framework, legislation, etc.) to ensure the coordination envisaged in this paragraph.

Article 5, paragraph 3. According to the Government, nursing personnel are subject to the same procedure for the settlement of conflicts as other workers in the country. It requests the Government to provide information on this procedure.

Article 6(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g). The Committee notes from the Government's report that the conditions of work of nursing personnel are regulated by law or collective agreements and that they are equal to those of other workers in the country. It requests the Government to indicate, taking into account the nature and specific constraints of the profession, the measures which have been taken in respect of (a) hours of work, (b) weekly rest, (c) paid annual holidays, (d) educational leave, (e) maternity leave, (f) sick leave and (g) social security, to ensure that nursing personnel in the public and private sectors enjoy conditions of work that are at least equivalent to those of other workers in the country.

Article 7. The Committee notes that in the field of occupational health and safety nursing personnel are governed by the legislation which is generally applicable and that the representatives of local elected trade union organizations are responsible for ensuring that conditions of work comply with the relevant provisions. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures which have been taken or are envisaged to improve existing laws and regulations on occupational health and safety by adapting them to the special nature of nursing work and the environment in which it is carried out. Furthermore, with reference to its general observation of 1990, which was repeated in 1994, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures which have been taken or are envisaged, in consultation with the employers' and workers' organizations concerned, to take into account the particular risk of accidental exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among nursing personnel: for example, the arrangement of working conditions, the confidentiality of test results, recognition that the cause of infection was occupational, etc.

Point V of the report form. The Committee notes the statistics supplied by the Government. It requests the Government to continue supplying such statistics and to provide data on the number of persons who are leaving the profession.