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Denmark

Background information on industrial relations in Denmark

• 19 Dec 2008
  Denmark: Denmark: Temporary agency work and collective bargaining in the EU

  The growth of TAW in Denmark is still quite new and cannot be termed as a sector in its own right. This fact is reflected in the limitations of the availability of statistical data concerning TAW in Denmark. The EU enlargement and increased inflow of foreign workers from old and new EU countries adds to the blurring of actual numbers and intensity of TAW work in Denmark. On the other hand TAW is a well organised area. Around 80 % of the TAW are covered by collective agreements.

• 11 Dec 2008
  Denmark: Industrial relations in the public sector — Denmark

  This report presents an overview of industrial relations in the central government and public sector in Denmark.

• 08 Dec 2008
  Denmark: Government proposal for wage commission agreed after strong criticism

  On 6 October 2008, the government and trade unions agreed in a second attempt on the framework for a tripartite wage commission for the public sector. The commission will examine equal pay between men and women, as well as between the public and private sectors. The government’s invitation to the social partners to form a commission analysing wage differences came about as a result of the difficult bargaining round in the public sector in the spring of 2008.

• 08 Dec 2008
  Denmark: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Railways sector – Denmark

  The aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the railways sector in Denmark. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining. The study is divided into two parts: the first part deals with railway transport operations, based on research carried out in 2006; the second part focuses on rail infrastructure based on research completed in 2007.

• 04 Nov 2008
  Denmark: New report provides comprehensive data on relocation in Denmark

  In June 2008 the Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs published a report on outward relocation by Danish companies. It is the first report to give a broader and comprehensive picture of the nature and extent of relocation and provides much needed evidence for debates about feared negative employment effects of globalisation. In general, net employment effects are only modestly negative and do not lead to long term unemployment. However, the evidence does also suggest that unskilled workers are in a relatively disadvantageous position.

• 14 Oct 2008
  Denmark: Small increase in working days lost to strike action

  An annual report from Statistics Denmark shows a minor increase in days lost due to work stoppages compared with the previous year. Overall, the data confirm that a relatively modest number of working days were lost due to industrial conflict in 2007. The number of days lost in the public sector decreased considerably; however, a significant increase was recorded in the manufacturing sector. Strike activity in Denmark can be ranked with other EU Member States.

• 07 Oct 2008
  Denmark: Government secures right to take industrial action against foreign service providers

  As a consequence of the so-called Laval verdict issued by the European Court of Justice in December 2007, the Danish government set up a commission with the strong participation of the social partners to analyse the consequences of the verdict for the national rules concerning industrial action. In June 2008, the commission issued a final report in which it recommended an amendment to the Danish act on the posting of workers.

• 29 Sep 2008
  Denmark: EU Fixed-term work directive has limited effect at local level

  A new study shows that the EU Directive on fixed-term work has had a limited impact on employers’ recruitment strategies and employees’ working conditions in the local government sector. Moreover, the directive appears to have paradoxically reduced rather than increased labour market flexibility, as Danish employers are less likely to employ unskilled fixed-term workers due to increased bureaucratic procedures arising from the directive.

• 29 Sep 2008
  Denmark: Longest strike in public sector ends with pay settlement

  After two months of industrial conflict in the early spring of 2008 over the renewal of collective agreements in the public sector, nurses as well as child and youth educators returned to work in June 2008. Healthcare workers also went on strike for a long period. Together, these three groups account for more than half of the employees in the public sector at local government level. The final settlements have triggered debate over the regulation of pay levels.

• 23 Sep 2008
  Denmark: Denmark: Industrial relations developments in Europe 2007

  2007 was dominated by collective bargaining in the private sector under the confederations of LO and DA. The year ended in heated discussios about the forthcoming bargaining in the public sector 2008. Furthermore 2007 was the year when the government took office for the third time in a row. The issue of wage flexibility was part of collective bargaining. The parties agreed that 2% of the wage, divided over the three-year period of the agreement in force, will be set aside on a free-choice account, enabling employees to choose between more special holidays, more pension or extra pay.

• 07 Aug 2008
  Denmark: Denmark: representativeness of the European social partner organisations – Sea and coastal water transport

  The social partners in the sector are strongly represented and coverage of collective bargaining is high, i.e. close to 90% according to the social partners. According to the provisions of the Danish International Ships’ Register (DIS) Danish shipping associations or shipping companies can enter into collective agreements with both Danish and foreign unions. Collective agreements entered into by Danish unions can only apply to persons domiciled in Denmark. Non-domiciled seafarers will be covered by collective agreements entered into by the union in their country of domicile.

• 17 Jul 2008
  Denmark: Telework in Denmark

  In 2006, more than a quarter of the Danish workforce were engaged in telework to some extent. Collective agreements have made provision for this type of work since the 1990s, and various definitions of the practice have arisen. However, the social partners in Denmark have been slow in implementing the EU framework agreement on telework, concluded by the European social partners in 2002. A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain this delay.

• 15 Jul 2008
  Denmark: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Post and courier services – Denmark

  The aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the post and courier services sector in Denmark. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector's industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.

• 14 Jul 2008
  Denmark: Representativeness of the European social partner organisations: Manufacture of sugar – Denmark

  The aim of this representativeness study is to identify the respective national and supranational actors (i.e. trade unions and employer organisations) in the field of industrial relations in the sugar manufacturing sector in Denmark. In order to determine their relative importance in the sector’s industrial relations, this study will, in particular, focus on their representational quality as well as on their role in collective bargaining.

• 11 Jun 2008
  Denmark: Collective agreement reached in public sector after tough negotiations

  In the early months of 2008, new collective agreements were signed by the social partners in the public sector at state, municipal and regional level. The renewal of the agreements took place amid unprecedented turbulence, and three of the largest trade unions gave notice of possible industrial action. The trade unions had highlighted that pay levels in the public sector lagged behind the private sector and they demanded extra increases to compensate for the deficit.

• 19 May 2008
  Denmark: Collective agreements in private sector concluded peacefully

  Between February and April 2008, the first private sector agreements were concluded peacefully, notably in the financial services, and agriculture and forestry sectors. Although negotiations in the large agricultural sector, including landscaping and gardening, ended with the assistance of the Public Conciliator, the bargaining atmosphere was favourable. Noteworthy outcomes included increases in pay and pensions in the agricultural sector and a breakthrough for company agreements in the insurance sector.

• 21 Apr 2008
  Denmark: Go-ahead for merger between major employer organisations

  On 1 May 2008, a merger between the Confederation of Danish Industries and the Confederation of Danish Commercial, Transportation and Service Industries will change the balance of influence among the employer organisations. The plan to merge both confederations had been announced in January 2008. The new association will by far be the largest employer organisation in Denmark.

• 10 Mar 2008
  Denmark: Metal employers agree to pay employees’ union fees

  Shop stewards within the Danish Metalworkers’ Union have taken new initiatives in the long-lasting fight against the so-called ‘yellow’ trade unions in an effort to curtail their own membership decline. For the first time ever, the trade union has signed a local agreement with companies, through which employers agree to pay their employees’ union membership fee as a fringe benefit.

• 05 Feb 2008
  Denmark: Representativeness of the social partners: Gas sector — Denmark

  This is the Danish contribution to the Representativeness CAR on the gas sector.

• 04 Feb 2008
  Denmark: Increase in posted workers a challenge for trade unions

  In recent times, a significant increase in the number of construction workers from eastern European countries seriously challenges the country’s well-established industrial relations system. Most of these workers are posted workers, whose wages and working conditions are not regulated by a Danish collective agreement. These are the findings of a study by the Employment Relations Research Centre on eastern European workers employed in the Danish construction sector.

• 14 Jan 2008
  Denmark: Public sector unions anticipate conflict in wage bargaining round

  Collective bargaining in the public sector scheduled for early 2008 in Denmark is on a collision course before the actual negotiations have even started. High expectations among employees of significant wage increases, alongside intervention from the political parties, have created a turbulent atmosphere. In this unprecedented context, the largest public sector trade unions are preparing for a major conflict in relation to renewing the collective agreements.