KTV Group AS

KTV Group AS, a glossy industrial cleaning and surface-treatment powerhouse headquartered in Hauglandshella, Vestland, presents itself as the gold standard of Norwegian arbeidsliv: modern facilities, cutting-edge technology, and a promise of stable, well-paid jobs in a booming sector. Yet behind the polished website and the endless stream of recruitment ads lies a company that has spent years bleeding employees at a staggering rate. One explosive 2017 exposé from Bergens Tidende cracked the façade wide open, revealing a workplace so toxic that almost the entire workforce was either sacked or fled within a two-year period.

This is not just another Norwegian company with a few disgruntled workers. KTV Group AS has become a textbook case of systematic labour conflict, sky-high turnover, and a management culture that appears incapable — or unwilling — to create a sustainable working environment.

A House of Cards: The Red Flags

Every legitimate Norwegian employer is bound by one of the strictest labour laws in the world — the Arbeidsmiljøloven — and by powerful unions such as Fellesforbundet and Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund. KTV Group AS has repeatedly collided with both.

The most damning evidence came in May 2017 when Bergens Tidende revealed that the company had gone through a near-total staff replacement in its Askøy division in just two years. Dozens of employees were dismissed, while many others quit voluntarily, citing unbearable pressure, arbitrary management decisions, and a culture of fear. Former workers described a revolving door where new hires were brought in, quickly burned out or pushed out, and replaced in an endless cycle.

Conflict after conflict ended up on the table of local union representatives, who described an almost unprecedented queue of cases against the same employer. The article quotes union officials stating bluntly: “We have rarely seen so many serious conflicts concentrated in one single company in such a short time.”

The Turnover Tsunami

In a country where the average annual turnover in industrial cleaning is around 10–15 %, KTV Group AS was reportedly losing the vast majority of its workforce in months, not years. New employees were greeted with promises of good pay and modern equipment, only to discover shift plans that changed without notice, relentless overtime pressure, and a management style that one ex-worker described as “militant”.

The result? A company that has to recruit constantly just to keep the lights on. Job ads for blasters, painters, and industrial cleaners from KTV Group pop up week after week on Finn.no — a silent but screaming red flag to anyone who knows the industry.

Aggressive Hiring, Zero Retention

KTV Group markets itself aggressively: big stands at industry fairs, sponsorship of local sports clubs, and a constant social-media barrage of smiling workers in brand-new protective gear. The pitch is simple — join a “dynamic and growing” company with “exciting projects” across Norway’s oil, gas, and maritime sectors.

Yet the reality reported by former employees is far darker. Multiple sources describe a culture where criticism is met with swift disciplinary action, where unionised workers are allegedly sidelined, and where the gap between the marketed image and day-to-day life is vast. The 2017 BT article revealed that several dismissed employees had taken their cases to the labour tribunal (Arbeidstilsynet and dispute resolution boards), adding legal battles to an already overwhelmed payroll.

Management That Refuses to Listen

Legitimate Norwegian companies facing high turnover normally trigger internal reflection, third-party workplace surveys, or mediation with the unions. KTV Group AS instead doubled down. Former employees claim management routinely blamed “difficult workers” rather than examining its own practices. One ex-foreman quoted anonymously in the BT piece summed it up: “They treat people like disposable tools — use them hard, then throw them away when they break.”

Censorship and Reputation Management

Search for “KTV Group erfaring” or “KTV Group anmeldelser” today and you’ll find a curiously clean landscape. There are almost no employee reviews on platforms like Glassdoor (extremely rare for a Norwegian company of this size), and the few that existed years ago have vanished. Industry insiders whisper about aggressive reporting of critical posts and a proactive approach to keeping Google results polished.

Meanwhile, the company continues to win large contracts from reputable clients in the offshore and maritime sectors — clients who may be unaware of the human cost behind the gleaming surface reports.

Who’s Really Behind KTV Group AS?

Registered in Straume, Vestland (org nr 980 566 649), the company is owned and led by a tight-knit group of local entrepreneurs who have built a profitable niche in high-risk industrial cleaning. Public records show healthy revenue and solid equity, which makes the labour chaos even more baffling — this is not a failing company cutting corners to survive. It is a successful one that appears to accept astronomical turnover as a cost of doing business.

A Call for Action

Norwegian authorities, unions, and major clients can no longer look the other way.

• Arbeidstilsynet must conduct a full, unannounced inspection of working conditions and turnover causes.
• Main clients in oil, shipping, and aquaculture need to demand transparency on employee retention as part of their supplier audits.
• Job seekers deserve a clear warning: a job at KTV Group AS may offer quick money, but the human price appears extraordinarily high.

Conclusion

KTV Group AS is not a criminal enterprise, nor a financial scam — but it is a company that has repeatedly failed its most important resource: its people. The 2017 Bergens Tidende investigation remains the single most damning public document, and eight years later nothing substantial seems to have changed.

In a country that prides itself on being a global leader in workers’ rights, KTV Group AS stands as a glaring exception — a profitable, modern company that somehow operates with turnover and conflict levels more reminiscent of the harshest low-wage industries elsewhere in the world.

The sharpest shield against this kind of workplace? Knowledge. If you are offered a job at KTV Group AS, read the 2017 article first. Because beneath the glossy marketing and impressive equipment lies a company where “dynamic growth” has too often meant a never-ending queue of broken trust and discarded workers.