Abstract
The objective of the study, was to assess the extent and nature of unmet need for legal aid as experienced by Polish workers with short-term contracts and in low-paying positions in Sør-Trøndelag. The study focuses on both perceived and unperceived unmet need for legal aid among Polish workers. This report is based on qualitative interviews with 15 Polish workers, both men and women, 10 representatives for organizations working with the legal rights of workers and two current ,and one former employees of employment agencies. The report is also based on documents/surveys of Polish workers in Norway. The study is not representative, but exemplary as it presents the problems perceived by some workers and discusses how they represent unmet needs for legal aid. The polish workers were all on short-term contracts and had all experienced breaches of their rights as EEA citizens. The breaches ranged from minor problems obtaining refunds for travel expenses to major infringements of the Working Environment Act. Based on this study we will claim that there seems to be an unknown, but considerable amount of unmet need for legal aid among Polish workers with short-term contracts and low pay in Sør-Trøndelag. This study was financed by EEA Grants and was commissioned by the National Courts Administration (Domstolsadministrasjonen) in Norway and the Polish Ministry of Justice.
