BarentsObserver called the minister’s plans for labor cooperation “a historic point in Norwegian-Russian cross-border relations”.
In his presentation of the document in the Kimek Yard in Kirkenes on 18 April 2008, Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen said that qualified Russian workers would be given full permission to work in Norwegian companies. Also people with regular high-school level education would be allowed into Norwegian companies. In those cases, only a quick and easy state approval of the involved companies would be required.
The new regulations were going to cover only the three northern Norwegian counties and apply for people from the Russian part of the Barents Region. Also two-year working permissions within all industries were going to be established, as well as permissions for commuting and part-time work.
Disappointing
One year after, little has been done by the Norwegian government to follow up the ground-breaking proposals. Some liberalization has been made with regard to unskilled labor and temporary employment. However, the main points in the ambitious document remain untouched.
It remains utmost hard for companies in northern Norway to hire Russian workers. Before employment can take place, the companies still have to announce the jobs in the whole European Economic Area (EEA) and red tape persists.
In an interview with newspaper Sør-Varanger Avis, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion Libe Rieber-Mohn now admits that it never was the intention to place Russian workers on equal footing with workers from the EEA area.
General Secretary of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat Rune Rafealsen says to BarentsObserver that the government’s failure to follow up its promises is a major disappointment. He also believes the case illustrates the government’s lack of knowledge and understanding of the situation in the Norwegian-Russian High North.
Cross-border travel
In his last April presentation, Minister Hansen also stressed that travel conditions for Russians visiting Norway would be significantly improved. From now on, Russian second-time visitors to Norway would not need visa invitations, a requirement which until now has created major red tape.
Also that issue has not been followed up by government. On the contrary, as BarentsObserver on several occasions has reported, visa and travel conditions remains a long process.
Thus, when BarentsObserver this week invited the mother of our Russian colleague to Norway, we first had to show our last three salary transcripts. Then we were told that she personally has to attend at the General Consulate in Murmansk to hand in her visa application. That is a 400 km trip and a full working day for a Norwegian visa. And that is despite that fact that she has been in Norway a big number of times earlier.
