Denmark
Background information on industrial relations in Denmark
- 18 Dec 2003
Denmark: Transitional scheme agreed for workers from central and eastern Europe<#PDF_LINK>In December 2003, the Danish government secured support for a political agreement which will permit people from the new EU Member States in central and eastern Europe to seek and take up work in Denmark from the first day of these countries' EU membership in May 2004. However, this is subject to a number of relatively strict conditions. A work and residence permit will be issued only for full-time work on pay and conditions equivalent to those laid down in collective agreements, and only for as long as the person concerned holds the job. In the event of dismissal, the workers concerned must return to their home country. The social partners have welcomed the agreement.
- 17 Dec 2003
Denmark: Prospects for 2004 bargaining round examined<#PDF_LINK>In January 2004, collective bargaining is set to open in the major part of the Danish private sector covered by the DA employers' organisation and LO trade union confederation, which last negotiated in 2000. In a difficult economic and social context, the key issues in bargaining are likely to include occupational pensions, maternity/paternity leave, wages for apprentices and trainees, and working time flexibility. Following a mixed experience with the four-year agreements signed in 2000, the duration of the new agreements is set to be a major point of debate.
- 09 Dec 2003
Denmark: Health unions to leave municipal bargaining unit<#PDF_LINK>In November 2003, all but one of the health workers' trade unions belonging to the Health Cartelannounced that they are to leave KTO, the umbrella body which represents employees in the Danish municipal and county sector in collective bargaining. This will remove nearly 100,000 workers, notably including nurses, from KTO's membership. The unions in the Health Cartel now wish to conduct direct negotiations with municipal/county employers.
- 09 Dec 2003
Denmark: Controversy over proposed unemployment benefit reform<#PDF_LINK>In November 2003, the Danish government withdrew a proposal to restrict entitlement to unemployment benefits, which had met with strong criticism from opposition political parties and the social partners. Despite amendments to the plan, it had still been rejected by opponents, with the LO trade union confederation and DA employers' organisation united in their opposition. The rules on unemployment benefits thus remain unaltered and the whole issue has been shelved for the foreseeable future.
- 18 Nov 2003
Denmark: Thematic feature - social partner involvement in the 2003 NAP<#PDF_LINK>This article examines social partner involvement in the preparation of Denmark’s 2003 National Action Plan for employment drawn up in response to the EU Employment Guidelines.
- 11 Nov 2003
Denmark: LO calls for European collective bargaining rules<#PDF_LINK>At its congress in October 2003, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) adopted a new policy on EU-level industrial relations, calling for general rules for European collective agreements and a European dispute-settlement system. The policy was the subject of considerable debate and was not agreed by all member unions.
- 04 Nov 2003
Denmark: Thematic feature - works councils and other workplace employee representation and participation structures<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Danish situation, as of September 2003, with regard to works councils and similar workplace employee representation and participation structures. It looks at the regulatory framework, statistical data, evidence on practice and the views of the social partners.
- 28 Oct 2003
Denmark: Introduction of 'labour market pensions' strengthens bargaining system<#PDF_LINK>Since 1991, the Danish social partners have introduced and extended a system of collectively agreed occupational pensions. Theselabour market pensionschemes now cover over 90% of employees and involve a compulsory contribution of 9% of pay. A study published in September 2003 argues that the introduction of the labour market pension scheme has both contributed to dealing with the problem of future pension financing (which is not now seen as a major problem in Denmark, in contrast with many other European countries) and strengthened social partner organisations and the collective bargaining system.
- 22 Oct 2003
Denmark: Transitional arrangements proposed for workers from central and eastern Europe<#PDF_LINK>In September 2003, the Danish Minister of Employment proposed that, for a transitional period, workers from the new central and eastern European Member States joining the EU from May 2004 should be able to take jobs in Denmark only on the terms and conditions laid down in collective agreements.
- 01 Oct 2003
Denmark: Women's wages still lower than men's<#PDF_LINK>In August 2003, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the Danish Employers' Confederation (DA) published a joint analysis of the wages of women and men. It is the most comprehensive study to date of the causes of gender differences in wages in Denmark, quantifying a number of factors which have a decisive impact in this area. The study finds that the average gender wage gap (to women's disadvantage) is 14%-15% among blue-collar workers and 19%-20% among white-collar workers. DA and LO are in agreement about the study's findings, but disagree as to what should be done in future to remedy the situation.
- 17 Sep 2003
Denmark: Thematic feature - implementation of the EU framework equal treatment Directive<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Danish situation, as of August 2003, with regard to the implementation and impact of the 2000 EU Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, which seeks to combat discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation.
- 09 Sep 2003
Denmark: Temporary agency workers should receive the same pay as permanent staff<#PDF_LINK>Temporary agency workers should receive the same remuneration as employees doing the same work in the user company to which they have been assigned, according to a ground-breaking arbitration award issued in September 2003 a case involving the Union of Danish Electricians and the Tekniq employers’ organisation.
- 22 Aug 2003
Denmark: Cooperation to combat illegal labour<#PDF_LINK>Over summer 2003, public authorities, trade unions and employers' organisations launched a major cooperative effort aimed at combating illegal labour in Denmark. One of the first fruits of this initiative was the arrest of seven illegal foreign workers at a shipyard in August.
- 22 Aug 2003
Denmark: Building workers' union to organise self-employed<#PDF_LINK>In summer 2003, the Danish Union of Wood, Industrial and Building Workers (TIB) announced plans to set up an affiliated organisation which will offer membership to self-employed people in the construction sector. This initiative is targeted at people working as self-employed under questionable circumstances, usually receiving lower pay than set by collective agreements. The issue of increasingbogusself-employment is also seen as a problem by the main building industry employers' organisation.
- 23 Jul 2003
Denmark: Older workers still face labour market difficulties<#PDF_LINK>There is widespread consensus in Denmark that older workers should remain longer on the labour market, in order to maintain the current welfare state in future in the light of demographic change. However, reports published by the social partners in May 2003 highlight the fact that many unemployed people over the age of 50 find it very hard to obtain a new job. Trade unions attribute considerable blame to employers' prejudices against older workers, while employers stress the role of early retirement and unemployment benefit provisions in low activity rates.
- 22 Jul 2003
Denmark: Thematic feature - posted workers<#PDF_LINK>This article examines the Danish situation, as of June 2003, with regard to: legislation and collective bargaining on the pay and conditions of posted workers (ie workers from one EU Member State posted by their employer to work in another); the number of such posted workers; and the views of the social partners and government on the issue.
- 08 Jul 2003
Denmark: Building industry unions cease cooperation with employers’ association<#PDF_LINK>In summer 2003, trade unions in the Danish building industry broke off cooperation with the Association of Employers in the Danish Building Industry because its managing director advised employers in the industry to use cheap labour from central and eastern European countries when they join the EU in May 2004.
- 11 Jun 2003
Denmark: Agreement concluded on Faroe Islands after major strikes<#PDF_LINK>The Faroe Islands (a self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty) were hit by major strikes in May 2003 after the breakdown of bargaining over a new collective agreement between five trade union associations and the Federation of Faroese Employers. At the third attempt, and after four weeks of strikes, the bargaining parties concluded a pay agreement in early June.
- 27 May 2003
Denmark: Most HK members work for multinational companies<#PDF_LINK>Around three-quarters of the members of the Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees (HK) - the largest trade union in Denmark - are employed in multinational enterprises, with nearly half working for foreign-owned firms. These are among the findings of a study published by HK in February 2003. This increasing internationalisationof business - which also affects the members of some other major Danish unions - is seen as posing a number of urgent challenges for the Danish trade union movement.
- 07 May 2003
Denmark: Slaughterhouse workers choose more leisure time over higher wages<#PDF_LINK>In April 2003, workers in the Danish slaughterhouses and meat processing sector approved a new collective agreement in a ballot by a large majority. The agreement introduces afree choicescheme, whereby workers can choose between spending 2.7% of the wage bill on more leisure time, a higher pension or higher wages. So far, more than half of them have opted for more time off work.
- 29 Apr 2003
Denmark: SAS launches third phase of restructuring<#PDF_LINK>The Scandinavian airline SAS has been hard hit by the current problems in the civil aviation sector and in April 2003 it announced a new round of cost-cutting and restructuring, following two earlier exercises since 2001. The latest plan will result in 4,000 redundancies among cockpit, cabin and ground staff. In Denmark, most of the trade unions involved have accepted pay freezes and other measures in order to preserve jobs and, in a longer perspective, the company's future. However, agreements have yet to be reached for cabin crew and some white-collar workers.
- 09 Apr 2003
Denmark: ILO criticises government over new part-time work legislation<#PDF_LINK>In March 2003, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) stated that the Danish government’s recent part-time work legislation, which intervenes in provisions on this issue in collective agreements, is in violation of ILO Conventions. The ILO Committee on Freedom of Association recommends that the government should resume consultations with the social partners. The Minister for Employment is prepared to follow the recommendation.
- 01 Apr 2003
Denmark: TKF and Dansk Metal to merge<#PDF_LINK>In March 2003, members of the Union of Telecommunication Workers (TFK) approved plans for a merger with the larger Union of Danish Metalworkers (Dansk Metal) in a ballot. A ballot among Dansk Metal members will take place in April, but approval seems a formality. TFK will become a section within Dansk Metal, and hopes to recruit other information technology workers, who are currently represented by a variety of unions.
- 27 Mar 2003
Denmark: More working days lost due to political disputes<#PDF_LINK>Statistics published by the Danish Employers’ Confederation (DA) in March 2003 indicate that 71,000 working days were lost in Denmark in 2002 due to unofficial disputes, twice the figure in 2001. Much of the increase resulted from political action, largely taken in opposition to the policies of the Liberal/Conservative government. The inclusion in the statistics for the first time of the strike-prone meat-processing and slaughterhouse sector may also account for some of the increase.
- 25 Mar 2003
Denmark: 2002 Annual Review for Denmark<#PDF_LINK>This record reviews 2002's main developments in industrial relations in Denmark.
- 14 Mar 2003
Denmark: State Car Inspection Service strike ends<#PDF_LINK>In late February 2003, employees at the Danish State Car Inspection Service resumed work after a month-long nationwide strike. The strike was caused by the management’s plan to make hundreds of employees redundant as a consequence of government cutbacks. Work was resumed after negotiations opened between trade unions and management, which resulted in agreement to spread an unspecified number of jobs losses over four years.
- 06 Mar 2003
Denmark: New agreements introduce 'individual options' for employees<#PDF_LINK>Early 2003 saw the negotiation of new collective agreements in the Danish finance and slaughterhouses/meat processing sectors. In both cases, the new agreements have introduced an innovative system of individual options, whereby employees can decide on the use of a certain amount of the overall wage sum - eg choosing between higher pay and more time off - within the collective framework of the agreements. Commentators have raised the question of whether the new agreements are a sign of radical changes in the collective bargaining system in the direction of a higher degree of individualisation, and thus in the longer term an indication of the demise of the trade union movement and the collective bargaining model.
- 06 Mar 2003
Denmark: Extraordinary congress seeks to create 'New LO'<#PDF_LINK>At an extraordinary congress held in February 2003, the Confederation of Danish Trade Unions (LO) adopted a new set of basic values and a new decision-making structure, aimed at creating aNew LO. This includes an end to financial support for the Social Democratic Party, thus removing barriers to merger with other union confederations. However, LO did not completely succeed in finding a solution to the problem of demarcation disputes among its member unions. Furthermore, it has been questioned whether the foundation for theNew LOis sufficiently strong to prevent tensions among unions or between the confederation's leadership and member unions.
- 11 Feb 2003
Denmark: DA calls for change in employment contracts legislation<#PDF_LINK>In January 2003, a Danish court ruled that all changes in the employment relationship must be incorporated into the employment contract, including in cases where the employee was recruited before the adoption of the 1993 Act on Employment Contracts (which made written contracts obligatory). This ruling deprives employers of legal protection, according to the Danish Employers' Confederation (DA), which is now seeking to have the Act amended.
- 29 Jan 2003
Denmark: Meat and slaughterhouse bargaining approaches<#PDF_LINK>In 2001, the Danish Food and Allied Workers' Union (NNF) negotiated a highly advantageous collective agreement in the meat factory and slaughterhouse industry, at a time when the sectoral employers' association, SA, was in a weak position. This agreement is due for renewal in early 2003, but with one major difference. SA has since joined the powerful Confederation of Danish Industries (DI) and it will be much more difficult for NNF to achieve such a good result. Among the union's demands is a new system enabling employees to choose freely between using part of their overall wage for higher pay increases, shorter working hours or more pension contributions.
- 20 Jan 2003
Denmark: Industry social partners sign agreement to bring more people into employment<#PDF_LINK>In January 2003, the social partners in Denmark's industrial sector concluded an agreement on the implementation of a government plan entitledBringing more people into employment, which is due to be enacted during 2003. The aim is to increase employment by introducing subsidised periods of employment to upgrade the skills of people facing labour market difficulties, along withworkplace introductionschemes, while ensuring that these initiatives do not lead to the replacement of existing jobs on ordinary terms