Jørgensen, Carsten

The annual results on work stoppages, published by Statistics Denmark (Danmarks Statistik [1]), show that 91,700 working days were lost due to strikes in 2007. This constitutes an increase of about 7% compared with the 2006 results [2] for the number of working days lost (*DK0706039I* [3]). Collective bargaining [4] took place in most of the private sector during 2007, which could explain the increase in work stoppages. However, no conflicts of interest arose in connection with the conclusion of collective agreements to explain the moderate growth in industrial action. Strikes at company level in connection with pay bargaining could account for the increase compared with 2006, which had been a quiet year in the Danish labour market, with collective bargaining taking place only in small sectors of economic activity. [1] http://www.dst.dk/ [2] http://www.dst.dk/HomeUK/Statistics/focus_on/focus_on_show.aspx?sci=201 [3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/overall-increase-in-strike-activity-over-past-year [4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/collective-bargaining

On 16 June 2008, nurses along with child and youth educators in the Danish regions returned to work after eight weeks of strike action. The strike had been called due to their disagreement with the settlement proposal offered by the employer, Danish Regions (Danske Regioner [1]), in connection with the renewal of collective agreements in the public sector in the early spring of 2008. The healthcare workers in the public sector union Trade and Labour (Fag og Arbejde, FOA [2]) also went on strike but resumed work a little earlier. This brought to an end the most wide-scale strike ever held in Denmark’s public sector over the renewal of a collective agreement. [1] http://www.regioner.dk/ [2] http://www.foa.dk/

Collective bargaining [1] in the public sector in Denmark usually takes place in an atmosphere of consensus rather than conflict. The public sector is second in the collective bargaining hierarchy after the export-oriented economic activities of the private sector, which set the norms for wage development (*DK0803029I* [2]). Furthermore, the traditions that have formed the Danish model of labour market regulation prescribe that collective bargaining on pay and working conditions is an issue for the social partners alone; legislation in this field is limited and the political system does not interfere in the negotiations – unless the social partners in the end fail to reach an agreement (*DK0605049I* [3]). protracted [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/collective-bargaining [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/collective-agreements-in-private-sector-concluded-peacefully [3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/danish-labour-market-model-under-pressure

Alongside the turbulent collective bargaining which occurred in the public sector in early 2008 (*DK0803019I* [1]), bargaining also took place in the private sector, namely in the financial services, and the agricultural and forestry sectors. A new three-year collective agreement was already negotiated for the large private sector of manufacturing in February 2007 (*DK0703019I* [2]). In contrast with the public sector, negotiations in both financial services, and the agricultural and forestry sectors ended without dispute. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/collective-agreement-reached-in-public-sector-after-tough-negotiations [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/social-partners-sign-new-three-year-agreement-in-manufacturing

In January 2008, two influential employer organisations – the Confederation of Danish Industries (Dansk Industri, DI [1]) and the Confederation of Danish Commercial Transportation and Service Industries (Handel, Transport og Service, HTS [2]) – confirmed that HTS will join DI, which is already the largest employer organisation in Denmark. The joint decision to merge was a result of an approach made by HTS in early 2007. After months of preparation, the enlarged DI will be a reality from 1 May 2008. On this date, HTS will officially take seat in the administration of DI and the members will be transferred to two new business communities within DI, transport and trade, thus enlarging the existing service considerably. [1] http://www.di.dk [2] http://www.hts.dk/

Since the abolition of closed-shop agreements, which force some groups of employees to become members of the trade union present in the company, the number of new members joining the so-called ‘yellow’ trade unions – unions that stress a harmony of interest between employees and employers – has increased significantly (*DK0601104F* [1]). The ‘traditional’ trade unions have since launched different initiatives aiming to curtail their own membership decline. One of the latest and more surprising initiatives is a local agreement reached in the autumn of 2007 between the Danish Metalworkers’ Union (Dansk Metal) and a number of companies in the capital city region of Copenhagen and in the North Jutland region in the north of the country. According to the agreement, the employers involved will pay their employees’ union membership fee to Dansk Metal. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/echr-rules-against-danish-closed-shop-agreements

A large number of migrant workers from eastern European countries in Denmark work under the provisions of the European Parliament and Council Directive 96/71/EC [1] on posted workers. This means that, in most cases, they receive a wage that is well below the level paid to workers who are covered by a Danish collective agreement. This is one of the findings presented in the study on Eastern European workers in the Danish construction sector (in Danish) [2] carried out in the autumn of 2007 by the Employment Relations Research Centre (Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmarkeds- og Organisationsstudier, FAOS [3]) at the University of Copenhagen. [1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31996L0071&model=guichett [2] http://faos.sociology.ku.dk/default2.asp?lan=da&active_page_id=253 [3] http://faos.sociology.ku.dk/?lan=en

Since September 2007, a heated debate about expectations regarding the outcome of the forthcoming collective bargaining round in the public sector in early 2008 has resulted in open disagreement between the Danish trade unions. Moreover, in an unprecedented move, the political parties have involved themselves in the proceedings and there is now widespread belief among industrial relations organisations and labour market experts that a major conflict will ensue.

A total of 85,800 working days were lost due to industrial conflict in Denmark in 2006. Compared with 2005, the 2006 figures represent an increase in the number of working days lost due to work stoppages of 34,500 working days. Of the total amount of working days lost in 2006, the public sector alone accounts for 62,400 days.

On 21 June 2007, a new collective organisation was established for public sector employees in Denmark. The Association of Danish State Employees’ Organisations (Statsansattes Kartel, StK [1]) and the Danish Confederation of Municipal Employees (Det Kommunale Kartel, DKK [2]) have merged to form a joint organisation, which was named the Organisation of Public Employees in Denmark (Offentligt Ansattes Organisationer, OAO [3]). [1] http://www.stk.dk/ [2] http://www.dkk.dk/ [3] http://www.oao.dk