In greater need of legal aid

– Pregnant women are vulnerable in working life during times of economic downturn, Malin Ranheim of JURK explains.

Ranheim studies law at the University of Oslo (UiO), and has noticed a marked increase in the number of cases in which pregnant women have been fired, supposedly due to the fact that they are pregnant.

– Before Christmas we had one to two cases of this nature at any given time, while now the number is seven. Pregnant women stand out, and are easily let go when the business needs to save money, Ranheim says.

Ylva Lohne, senior advisor at the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud, states that they are working with discrimination against pregnant women continuously. The law is clear, says Lohne, who believes that ignorance among employers is to blame.

– Pregnant women are vulnerable because they often work in fields where part-time work is common and there are temporary positions and substitute positions. This means that they are in a weaker position in the event of a downturn, she says.

Sigrun Vågeng, executive director for labour market and social affairs at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), says that NHO has focused extensively on women’s rights in working life, but that discrimination against pregnant women has not been addressed specifically.

– We do not see this as a problem for our members. Employees should be treated in a proper manner, and naturally this includes pregnant women as well, Vågeng explains.

– Have you put in place any specific measures to secure the rights of pregnant women?

– Laws and regulations are a guarantee against unfair dismissals. Paragraph 15-9 in the Working Environment Act states that: «Employees who are pregnant cannot be dismissed for this reason.» It does not get clearer than that. Putting measures into place in addition to the regulations that already exist has not been an issue, Vågeng states.

Ranheim from JURK says that situations in which women have been pushed out are generally resolved.

– We often represent the women in negotiation meetings, and normally we reach an agreement in these meetings. The most common outcome is that the client receives financial compensation.