Cooperation Agreement on a
More Inclusive Working Life
Revised version Cooperation
Company registration no.
Agreement 2014-2018
Company no.
Cooperation Agreement on a More Inclusive
Working Life
By and between.....................................................................................................................................................(the enterprise)
and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service represented by NAV Inclusive Workplace Support Centre
in........................................................................................................................................................................................................
This cooperation agreement builds on the ”Letter of Intent regarding a More Inclusive Working Life of 4 March 2014 – 31
December 2018 (the IA Agreement)”.
The main goal of the IA Agreement is:
– To improve the working environment, enhance presence at work, prevent and reduce sick leave and prevent exclusion and
withdrawal from working life.
The three national secondary goals of the IA Agreement are:
1. 20 per cent reduction in sick leave compared with the 2nd quarter 2001. This means that on a national level, sick leave
must not exceed 5.6 per cent.
2. Prevent withdrawal and increase employment of people with impaired functional ability.
3. Active employment after the age of 50 to be extended by twelve months. This means an increase in the average labour
force participation rate (for people over the age of 50), compared with 2009.
This cooperation agreement replaced previous cooperation agreements.
1 the cooperation agreement
By entering into the cooperation agreement to become an IA enterprise each enterprise supports the goals of the IA Agreement.
Entry into this cooperation agreement means that employers, union representatives, safety delegates and other employees in the
enterprise will have purposeful collaboration to achieve a more inclusive workplace. An important condition for achieving the
goals of the IA Agreement is that the enterprise carries out systematic preventive HSE work and that the enterprise’s IA work is
an integral part of this work.
In return, IA enterprises receive rights that are reserved for such enterprises:
Own contact person at NAV Inclusive Workplace Support Centre
Prevention and facilitation subsidies from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service
Extended use of self-certification
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2 Goals for the enterprise’s IA work
Based on the three sub-goals in the IA Agreement, the enterprise must set its own goals for the IA work. Goals are drawn-up
together with the employer, employee representatives, safety delegates and other employees within 12 weeks of entering into
the cooperation agreement. The national IA Agreement emphasises that that the different sub-goals must be seen as a whole to
achieve the intention of a more inclusive working life. Wherever appropriate, the enterprise must set goals for all three sub-goals.
Sub-goal 1: Sick leave
Draw-up activity goals for the work relating to sick leave and set result goals for sick leave levels.
Sub-goal 2: People with reduced functional ability
a) Set activity goals for the follow-up and facilitation work with own employees who have impaired work capacity to
prevent withdrawal from working life.
b) Set activity goals for how the enterprise must make room for people cleared by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare
Service who need to test their capacity to work and functional ability in ordinary working life.
Sub-goal 3: Retirement age
– Set activity goals for how the enterprise can stimulate older employees to continue working
– Have a life phase perspective that will be a part of the enterprise’s human resources policy and the systematic preventive work.
3 Obligations
Entry into this cooperation agreement commits the enterprise, employees and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service.
The facilitation obligation in Section 4-3 of the Working Environment Act is invariable and far-reaching. The scope of the
obligation depends on the employer’s real possibilities to facilitate an inclusive workplace and applies ”wherever possible”.
The IA Agreement does not alter this.
3.1. The obligations of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service must ensure that the enterprise has its own contact person at the NAV Workplace
Support Centre.
The contact person is the enterprise’s dedicated point of contact with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service and is
responsible for informing about and coordinating the agency’s services to the enterprise. This does not mean that the contact
person must provide all assistance him or herself, but that he or she ensures that the services and the information agreed on
are provided by the most competent of the relevant professional areas and by the right authorities. This will ensure that the
enterprise receives the best professional service.
The contact person’s tasks:
a) In a dialogue with managers, employee representatives and safety delegates actively support the enterprises’
targeted and result-oriented work on development of more inclusive workplaces, including the enterprise’s work
to prevent absenteeism and a transition to national insurance benefits.
b) Ensure that the enterprise receives information and guidance on:
- Procedures for following-up and recording absenteeism
- IA instruments and measures within the framework of the IA Agreement
- The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service’s other measures and instruments in connection with following-up
employees in the enterprise and recruiting people who are not employed
c) Give advice and guidance in difficult individual cases.
d) Contribute to financial instruments being triggered quickly and efficiently in individual cases and based on
written documentation.
e) Collaborate with the enterprise’s occupational health service.
f) Take the initiative towards other collaborating parties that can assist the enterprise in the IA work, such as the
NAV office, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority and suppliers of health and rehabilitation services.
Through other general measures, the authorities will facilitate the enterprises’ work to prevent withdrawal from working life
and increase employment of people with impaired functional ability. The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service also has
a number of instruments that may be used in the follow-up and facilitation work. Workplace Support Centres will provide
information on and dissemination of these general instruments to IA enterprises, including providing IA enterprises with
information on the Back to work faster scheme.
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service will send statistics to IA enterprises showing the enterprise’s /industry’s key sick
leave statistics.
3.2 The obligations of the employer
Employers must provide a good and inclusive working environment in cooperation and close dialogue with employee
representatives, safety delegates and other employees. Twice a year, the IA work must be put on the agenda of meetings as
an integral part of the enterprise’s working environment work and where management, employee representatives and safety
delegates are represented. Joint training should be included in order to achieve an agreed understanding of the IA work.
3.2.1. Follow-up of own employees
The HSE and IA work requires a long-term perspective and employers must ensure that management, employee representatives
and safety delegates have the necessary expertise to carry out the work.
a) Facilitate working conditions for employees with special needs.
b) Keep sick leave statistics and use these in the systematic work on sick leave.
3.2.2. People who are not associated with the enterprise
a) The enterprise must provide opportunities for people cleared by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service who
need to test their capacity to work and functional ability in ordinary working life. This requires that the Norwegian
Labour and Welfare Service ensures assistance to relevant candidates through financial and competence-related
measures, as well as other facilitation.
3.3 The obligations of the employee representatives
a) Acquire the necessary knowledge about the HSE and IA work together with the employer and safety delegate.
b) As a party to the agreement, through participation and collaboration with the management, the employee representative
must actively contribute to drawing up the enterprise’s plans, goals and procedures for the IA work.
c) Attend dialogue meetings if the employees so wish.
3.4 The obligations of the employees
a) Participate actively in the HSE and IA work in the workplace so that binding targets are set in the enterprise, which
contribute to achieving the national goals of the IA Agreement.
b) Inform whether their own sickness absence has anything to do with their work situation.
Employees must contribute actively to a dialogue with their immediate superior regarding their own capacity to work,
contribute actively in preparation and implementation of their won follow-up plan and the necessary measures to be at or
return to work full-time or part-time.
4 Contact persons
Contact person for NAV Inclusive Workplace Support Centre: ..................................................................................................
Contact person for the enterprise’s management:.....................................................................................................................
Contact person for the employee representatives/employees: ................................................................................................
5 Duration of the agreement
This agreement shall enter into force from......................, and be valid for the same duration as the IA Agreement, unless it
is terminated by one of the parties.
The employer and employee representatives are equal contractual parties in the enterprise and may terminate the agreement
with one month’s notice. The working environment committee or the enterprise’s other cooperative bodies shall decide on
termination of the agreement.
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service, represented by NAV Inclusive Workplace Support Centre may terminate the
agreement and thereby deprive the enterprise of its status as an IA enterprise.
For the enterprise
................................................................................................
Manager ...............................................................................................
Employee representative
For the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service,
NAV Inclusive Workplace Support Centre in ………………….…………………........................................................................
…………………………………….........................................
Manager
Contact the NAV Inclusive Workplace Support
Centre for further details and explanations
www.nav.no
April 2014 Opplag 1000 Trykkeri 07 media Lay-out:Kommunikasjonsstaben // Rådgivningsseksjonen ISBN 978-82-551-2361-3