What's worth knowing before you go
Not legal advice — signposts to official sources. Every claim links to a primary source.
No one has the right to charge you before work starts
No honest employer in the EU asks a worker for money upfront — not a deposit "to guarantee arrival," not a processing fee, not an advance for housing. If asked, it's fraud.
Latvian intermediaries are directly prohibited by law from charging job seekers for employment services (the Law on Support for the Unemployed and Job Seekers, Article 17, para. 9). Licensed companies are listed on the NVA website — if a company promises work abroad, check it there.
Norway has a statutory minimum wage
In a number of industries, the allmenngjøring mechanism applies: the terms of the collective agreement become mandatory for every employer in the industry, including foreign companies. Paying less is not allowed even if the employer isn't party to any agreement.
This covers, among others, construction, cleaning, and the hotel and restaurant industry. Current rates are on the Arbeidstilsynet website.
Reimbursement of travel, meals, and housing while on assignment is not part of the minimum rate: an employer may not pay below the minimum on the grounds that it covered your travel or housing.
Arbeidstilsynet: current minimum rates ↗You can join a union in the country where you work
This is the main thing Baltic workers almost never do — and it delivers the most.
Scandinavian unions accept foreign workers. Membership provides legal help in a dispute with an employer, monitoring that the agreed rate is followed, and usually insurance. Dues are typically around one and a half percent of wages.
You are not required to tell your employer that you're a union member.
Norway
If you haven't been paid
Sweden — Arbetsmiljöverket, but for unpaid wages start with your industry union.
If you're a union member, start there: the union has lawyers and experience with exactly this kind of case.
If conditions on the ground turned out different
Write to us: baltworkers@gmail.com. We can't settle a dispute for you, but we'll correct the listing on the site so the next person knows the truth.