Dansk Metal favours more flexible working time

With a view to collective bargaining in 1998, the Danish National Union of Metalworkers (Dansk Metal) has approved the introduction of more flexible working time.

In September 1997, the president of the National Union of Metalworkers (Dansk Metal), Max Bæhring outlined the union's views prior to the 1998 collective bargaining round. Dansk Metal occupies a prominent place in the Central Organisation of Industrial Employees in Denmark (CO-Industri) negotiating cartel, which, together with the Confederation of Danish Industries (DI), concludes collective agreements for a large part of industry. This bargaining sector often sets the norm for other sectors during the bargaining round. Mr Bæhring is also president of CO-Industri and is therefore the main trade union negotiator within the industrial sector.

Dansk Metal is prepared to introduce a greater degree of flexibility in working time, as the bargaining level shifts from a national industry-wide basis to company level. Earlier bargaining rounds in this leading sector have also witnessed more flexible working time arrangements.

When Mr Bæhring put forward the idea of more flexible working time arrangements at the Dansk Metal congress in 1994, he was strongly criticised by many delegates who accused him of "selling out". In the 1995 collective agreement, new rules on a variable weekly working time were introduced, and these rules are now seen by Mr Bæhring as an important innovation: "We [Dansk Metal] ensured that if a company wished to alter working time arrangements it had to do so by agreement rather than imposing it unilaterally. The 1995 collective agreement gave employees a new right to negotiate and conclude agreements on working time." As far as Dansk Metal is concerned, this represents considerable progress. Experience show that many working time agreements have been concluded in a number of companies, both small and large. Hence it refutes the view that the provisions would merely allow smaller workplaces to impose worsened conditions.

There is still one obstacle that has to be overcome in the 1998 negotiations in this sector. The sector is lagging behind others on occupational pension schemes, which were begun elsewhere in 1991. Dansk Metal has therefore made it clear that the gap between this sector and others must be closed before any real negotiations can proceed. This position also has the support of CO-Industri. This issue might yet prove to be a major stumbling block to a peaceful conclusion of the 1998 negotiations.