The representativeness of trade unions and employer associations in the paper sector

The paper sector has become less important in the Danish economy over the last decade due to production being transferred abroad. There are three representative organisations in the sector, two of which are trade unions. The three organisations have one joint collective agreement covering employees in the packaging industry.

1. Sectoral properties

Economic background

The paper industry has lost around 50% of its turnover and about the same percentage of employees over the last decade. Companies in the industry have mainly been off shored to Asia. The economic downturn, however, has only had an effect on the number of affiliates of the social partner organisations, not on their basic structure or partnership.

Ten years ago the member companies of the packaging industry’s employer organisation EAB (see below) had 6,000 employees, now they have 3,000.

Development of employment

Table 1: Sectoral properties

	2000	2008
Number of companies in the sector	202	164
Source of company data	Statistics Denmark GF2	Statistics Denmark GF2
	1998
Aggregate employment	10,063	6,835
Male employment	7,398	5,029
Female employment	2,665	1,806
Share of sectoral employment in %	0%	0%
Source of employment figures	Statistics Denmark RAS9X	Statistics Denmark RAS9
Comment	Figures cover Nace code 17 Paper industry
Aggregate employees	9,998	6,814
Male employees	7,394	5,010
Female employees	2,944	1,804
Share of sectoral employees in %	0	0
Comment	Figures cover Nace code 17 Paper industry

2. The sector’s trade unions and employer associations

This section includes the following trade unions and employer associations:

(i) trade unions which are party to sector-related collective bargaining

(ii) trade unions which are a member of the sector-related European Union Federation (i.e. EMCEF – European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers Federation)

(iii) employer associations which are a party to sector-related collective bargaining

(iv) employer associations (business associations) which are a member of the sector-related European Employer/Business Federation (i.e. CEPI – Confederation of European Paper Industries)

2a Data on the trade unions

Table 1: Union Fact sheet: United Federation of Danish Workers (3F)

Affiliation to multinational organisations	ICM; Uni Global Graphic
Affiliation to European level organisations	Industriansatte i Norden, IN; Nordisk Grafisk Union; EMCEF Paper; UNI-Europa Graphic,
Affiliation to national level organisations	Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO)
Engagment in sector related collective bargaining	yes
Type of membership	voluntary
Consultation in sector related matters	yes
Union's domain with regard to sector	sectional overlap
Domain overlap with other unions in sector	no
Domain overlaps occur with the following unions in the sector	n.a.
	2010
‘Active’ union members total (in employment)	318,792
Union members (incl. non-employed), total	381,110
	2010
‘Active’ union members in the sector (in employment)	2,400
Union members in the sector, total (incl. non-employed)	n.a.
Female membership as a % of total members	29%
Source of sectoral membership figures	Est. Social Partner
Union Density - active members	70.0%	-	73.0%
Sectoral Density - active members	35.2%
Sectoral Domain Density - active members	93.0%	-	95.0%
Union Density - total members	84%	-	87%
Sectoral Density - total members	n.a.
Sectoral Domain Density - total members	n.a.
Description of union's domain with regard to sector	Industrial and graphical workers and industrial operators
Representation of other groups than employees in the sector	Blue-collar workers. 3F does not represent self-employed workers in the paper sector

Table 2: Union Fact sheet: The Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees (HK)

Affiliation to multinational organisations	Uni Global Graphic
Affiliation to European level organisations	Nordisk Grafisk Union; EMCEF Paper; UNI-Europa Graphic,
Affiliation to national level organisations	Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO)
Engagment in sector related collective bargaining	yes
Type of membership	voluntary
Consultation in sector related matters	yes
Union's domain with regard to sector	sectional overlap
Domain overlap with other unions in sector	no
Domain overlaps occur with the following unions in the sector	n.a.
	2009
‘Active’ union members total (in employment)	219,232
Union members (incl. non-employed), total	311,815
	2010
‘Active’ union members in the sector (in employment)	200
Union members in the sector, total (incl. non-employed)	n.a.
Female membership as a % of total members	75%
Source of sectoral membership figures	Est. Social Partner
Union Density - active members	45.0%	-	48.0%
Sectoral Density - active members	3.0%
Sectoral Domain Density - active members	Medium Low: 26-50%
Union Density - total members	64%	-	68%
Sectoral Density - total members	n.a.
Sectoral Domain Density - total members	n.a.
Description of union's domain with regard to sector	Graphical workers
Representation of other groups than employees in the sector	White-collar. HK does not represent self-employed in the paper sector

2b Data on the employer associations

Table 3: Employers organisation Fact sheet: EAB

Affiliation to multinational organisations	n.a.
Affiliation to European level organisations	EAB is not member of any European or international employer organisation, only trade organisations ECMA and FEFCO
Affiliation to national level organisations	Confederation of Danish Industry, DI
Engagement in sectoral related collective bargaining	Yes
Consultation in sector related matters	Yes
Type of membership	voluntary
Organisation's domain with regard to sector	sectional overlap
Domain overlap with other organisations in sector	No
Domain overlaps occur with the following organisations	n.a.
	2010
Number of member companies, total	60
Number of employees in member companies, total	3,000
	2010
Number of member companies in sector	60
Number of employees in member companies in sector	3,000
Source of membership figures	Est. Social Partner
Domain Density - companies	66.0%
Sectoral Density - companies	36.0%
Sectoral Domain Density - companies	66.0%
Domain Density - employees	75.0%
Sectoral Density - employees	44.0%
Sectoral Domain Density - employees	75.0%
Description of organisation's domain with regard to sector	Packaging industry
Representation of particular subgroups of enterprises	EAB covers companies of all sizes

3. Inter-associational relationships

3a Inter-union relationships

3a.1 Please list all trade unions covered by this study whose domains overlap.

None

3a.2 Do rivalries and competition exist among the trade unions, concerning the right to conclude collective agreements and to be consulted in public policy formulation and implementation?3a.3 If yes, are certain trade unions excluded from these rights?

3b Inter-employer association relationships

3b.1 Please list all employer associations covered by this study whose domains overlap

None

3b.2 Do rivalries and competition exist among the employer associations, concerning the right to conclude collective agreements and to be consulted in public policy formulation and implementation?3b.3 If yes, are certain employer associations excluded from these rights?3b.4 Are there large companies or employer associations which refuse to recognise the trade unions and refuse to enter collective bargaining?No

4. The system of collective bargaining

4.1. Estimate the sector’s rate of collective bargaining coverage (i.e. the ratio of the number of employees covered by any kind of collective agreement to the total number of employees in the sector).

Estimation of the employer calculated on the basis of the total wage sum in the sector: 75%. However, If the number of employees in the member companies given by EAB (3,000) is seen in relation to the statistical information of number of employees in the sector given by Statistics Denmark (6,814), the ratio is 44%.

4.2. Estimate the relative importance of multi-employer agreements and of single-employer agreements as a percentage of the total number of employees covered. (Multi-employer bargaining is defined as being conducted by an employer association on behalf of the employer side. In the case of single-employer bargaining, it is the company or its subunit(s) which is the party to the agreement. This includes the cases where two or more companies jointly negotiate an agreement.)

There are no single-employer agreements in the sector.

4.2.1. Is there a practice of extending multi-employer agreements to employers who are not affiliated to the signatory employer associations?

No

4.2.2. If there is a practice of extending collective agreements, is this practice pervasive or rather limited and exceptional?

No

4.3. List all sector-related multi-employer wage agreements* valid in 2008 (or most recent data), including for each agreement information on the signatory parties and the purview of the agreement in terms of branches, types of employees and territory covered.

* Only wage agreements which are (re)negotiated on a reiterated basis.

Sector-related multi employer wage agreements

Bargaining parties	Purview of the sector-related multi-employer wage agreements
	Sectoral	Type of employees	Territorial
DI 1 – 3F, HK/Privat	Paper industry	Industrial and graphical workers	National

4.4. List the sector’s four most important collective agreements (single-employer or multi-employer agreements) valid in 2008 (or most recent data), including for each agreement information on the signatory parties and the purview of the agreement in terms of branches, types of employees and territory covered. Importance is measured in terms of employees covered.

Four most important agreements in terms of employees covered

Bargaining parties	Purview of the agreements
	Sectoral	Type of employees	Territorial
DI 1 – 3F, HK/Privat	Paper industry	Industrial and graphical workers	National

5. Formulation and implementation of sector-specific public policies

5.1. Are the sector’s employer associations and trade unions usually consulted by the authorities in sector-specific matters? If yes, which associations?

Yes – see above

5.2. Do tripartite bodies dealing with sector-specific issues exist? If yes, please indicate their domain of activity (for instance, health and safety, equal opportunities, labour market, social security and pensions etc.), their origin (agreement/statutory) and the interest organisations having representatives in them:

Sector-specific public policies*

Name of the body and scope of activity	Bipartite/tripartite	Origin: agreement/statutory	Trade unions with representatives	Employer associations with representatitives
Industriens BAR Sectoral health and safety council in industry	Bipartite	Statutory	3F Danish Metalworkers' Union (Dansk Metal) Danish Food and AlliedWorkers' Union (Fødevarefor-bundet, NNF) HK DanishAssociation of Professional Technicians (Teknisk Landsforbund, TL) Union of Wood, Industrial and Building Workers (TIB) Danish Union of Electricians (Dansk El-forbund)	DI Federation ofDanish Textile and Clothing (Dansk Textil og Beklædning) Managers: Danish Association of Managers and Executives (Ledernes Hovedorganisation, LH)
Grafisk BAR Sectoral health and safety council in graphic industry	Bipartite	Statutory	HK/Privat 3F Danish Union of Journalists (Dansk Journalistforbund)	Emballageindustrien, EAB GraphicalAssociation of Denmark (Grafisk Arbejdsgiverforening) Danish Newspaper Employers' Association (Danske Mediers Arbejdsgiverforening)
Grafisk Uddannelses-udvalg Education committee for graphics	Bipartite	Statutory	HK/Danmark HK/Privat	Emballageindustrien, EAB GraphicalAssociation of Denmark (Grafisk Arbejdsgiverforening) Danish Newspaper Employers' Association (Danske Mediers Arbejdsgiverforening)
Joint Council of Industry (Industriens Fællesudvalg) - industrioperatør-uddannelsen	Bipartite	Statutory	3F	DI
Industriens Uddannelser Joint industrial committee on education Industry	Bipartite	Agreement	3F Dansk Metal	DI

* Sector-specific policies specifically target and affect the sector under consideration.

6. Statutory regulations of representativeness

6a Statutory regulations of representativeness for trade unions

6a.1 In the case of the trade unions, do statutory regulations exist which establish criteria of representativeness which a union must meet, so as to be entitled to conclude collective agreements? If yes, please briefly illustrate these rules and list the organisations which meet them.

No

6a.2 In the case of the trade unions, do statutory regulations exist which establish criteria of representativeness which a union must meet, so as to be entitled to be consulted in matters of public policy and to participate in tripartite bodies? If yes, please briefly illustrate these rules and list the organisations which meet them.

No

6a.3 Are elections for a certain representational body (e.g. works councils) established as criteria for trade union representativeness? If yes, please report the most recent electoral outcome for the sector.

No

6b Statutory regulations of representativeness for employer organisations

6b.1 In the case of the employer organisations, do statutory regulations exist which establish criteria of representativeness which an organisation must meet, so as to be entitled to conclude collective agreements? If yes, please briefly illustrate these rules and list the organisations which meet them.

No

6b.2 In the case of the employer organisations, do statutory regulations exist which establish criteria of representativeness which an organisation must meet, so as to be entitled to be consulted in matters of public policy and to participate in tripartite bodies? If yes, please briefly illustrate these rules and list the organisations which meet them.

No

6b.3 Are elections for a certain representational body established as criteria for the representativeness of employer associations? If yes, please report the most recent outcome for the sector.

No

7. Commentary

There are no problems concerning recognition or representativeness in this sector in Denmark.

Carsten Jørgensen, FAOS, University of Copenhagen

• ID: DK1011029Q
• Author: Carsten Jørgensen
• Institution: FAOS, University of Copenhagen
• Country: Denmark
• Language: EN
• Publication date: 27-03-2012
• Sector: Pulp and Paper
• EIRO Keywords: Workers' representation, Employers organisations