Delta UDLAF, representing locally hired employees at Norwegian foreign missions, has filed a lawsuit against Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD). Law firm Elden, representing the union, announced the case on Monday. It concerns the employment status of around 1,100 local staff.
The union argues that the ministry is their employer and that Norway’s Working Environment Act applies to them. The ministry disagrees, saying the employees are hired directly by the relevant diplomatic mission. After more than 15 years of attempts to resolve the question through dialogue and agreements, Delta UDLAF says it has asked a court to decide.
Elden says the difference in interpretation is especially serious in countries affected by war, hyperinflation or political instability. The union cites Sudan, where civil war broke out in 2023: it says the ministry evacuated posted staff while locally hired employees had to flee at their own expense and at risk to their lives. The union’s statement says many remain in refugee camps after being dismissed without regard to local or Norwegian law.
Foreign Ministry deputy director Helene Sandbu Ryeng told VG that the embassy kept in regular contact with local employees, but the developing situation made it difficult to find a safe way to help them leave the city. She said she understood that local staff may have considered the assistance insufficient. If the lawsuit proceeds, she said, the ministry will present its legal assessment in court.