Norwegian foreign ministry faces lawsuit from locally hired embassy staff over employment rights
Locally employed staff at Norwegian diplomatic missions have filed a lawsuit demanding the Foreign Ministry be recognized as their employer and to secure basic labor protections.
About 1,100 locally hired workers at Norwegian embassies have launched a lawsuit, backed by Delta UDLAF and Elden Advokatfirma, to compel the Utenriksdepartementet to accept employer responsibility and grant Norwegian labor rights. The claim references the 2023 Sudan civil war, where local staff had to escape on their own, were subsequently terminated, and received compensation of 13 to 19 months' salary but little further aid.
Elden contends that the Ministry, as head of the foreign service, remains the ultimate employer despite delegating daily management to individual stations, and that Norway's arbeidsmiljøloven should apply. The Ministry, via underdirector Helene Sandbu Ryeng, maintains that employment contracts are concluded with each mission, that host-country law governs rights, and that it acted according to one outlet regulations during the Sudan crisis. The department says it will respond if the case proceeds to court.
Why it matters
The case could reshape employer responsibilities for thousands of locally hired diplomatic workers worldwide.
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