Jørgensen, Carsten

In March 2004, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO) and the Danish Employers’ Confederation (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening, DA) agreed to an overall compromise settlement - drawn up by the Public Conciliation Service (Forligsinstitutionen) - to conclude 2004's various sectoral collective bargaining rounds across the major part of the private sector that they represent (DK0403103F [1]). During April 2004, the members of the trade unions affiliated to LO voted on whether or not to accept the settlement. The members voting approved the deal by 57% to 43%. However, the turn-out was only 37% (DK0405102F [2]). [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/overall-compromise-reached-in-private-sector-bargaining [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/private-sector-settlement-approved-in-ballot

The phenomenon of undeclared work - defined as 'any paid activities that are lawful as regards their nature but not declared to the public authorities'- is an issue which has been preoccupying the EU institutions for a number of years. In 1998, the European Commission issued a Communication [1] on undeclared work, which was designed to launch a debate on the causes of such work and the policy options for combating it (EU9804197F [2]). It suggested that there was a need to clarify the causes and extent, and concluded that combating undeclared work should be part of the overall European employment strategy [3]. [1] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/employment_strategy/index_en.htm [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/commission-targets-undeclared-work [3] http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/employment_strategy/index_en.htm

Professional football players started a strike on 17 August 2004. At the end of July, negotiations between the players union the Danish Football Players' Association (Spillerforeningen, SPF) and the clubs represented by the Danish League Association (Divisionsforeningen, DF) had broken down at the Public Conciliation Service (Forligsinstitutionen) and the parties failed to conclude an agreement. This was the first time ever that a football dispute had been taken up by the Public Conciliation Service, which after the breakdown of talks decided to postpone industrial action by the parties for two weeks. The two weeks passed without any breakthrough in negotiations and the first strike in Danish football broke out on 17 August.

Over 2003-4, the public labour market and tax authorities, the police, the social partners and to a certain degree the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) have been campaigning against undeclared work in shops and restaurants and in construction (DK0406102T [1] and DK0308102F [2]). Workplace visits by the tax authorities have revealed widespread tax fraud and undeclared work. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/thematic-feature-industrial-relations-and-undeclared-work-4 [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/building-workers-union-to-organise-self-employed

On 18 June 2004, the executive committee of the Confederation of Danish Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO) decided to admit the Danish Football Players' Association (Spillerforeningen) (DK0107126N [1]) as a member union. This means that the union will receive all the financial and professional support granted to LO affiliates, including sympathy action from other LO unions in the event of a strike. Subsequently, on 1 July the Danish Football Players' Association gave notice of industrial action from 1 August in connection with collective bargaining with employers represented by the Danish League Association (Divisionsforeningen). Normally, member unions of LO can first receive financial support after one year's membership, but in this case LO will make an exception. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/danish-football-players-union-is-a-success

The latest strike figures from Statistics Denmark (Danmark Statistik), published on 28 April 2004, indicate that in 2003 a total of 55,100 working days were lost as a consequence of work stoppages/conflicts - see table 1 below. This was only 28% of the 193,600 working days lost in 2002, or in other words a fall of 72%. Fewer working days were lost in 2003 than in any year since the statistics on work stoppages were inaugurated in 1973, with the exception of 1989, when 132 work stoppages resulted in 52,900 lost working days. However, it should be noted that in 1989 only conflicts resulting in more than 100 lost working days were registered in the statistics, whereas all conflicts are registered now (DK0303102F [1].). [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/more-working-days-lost-due-to-political-disputes

On 21 March 2004, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Landsorganisationen i Danmark, LO) and the Danish Employers’ Confederation (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening, DA) agreed to an overall compromise settlement to conclude 2004's various sectoral collective bargaining rounds across the major part of the private sector that they represent. The deal was drawn up by the Public Conciliation Service (Forligsinstitutionen), following two lengthy rounds of negotiations with the parties (DK0403103F [1]). The settlement had to be put to a membership ballot. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/overall-compromise-reached-in-private-sector-bargaining

No significant elections were held in Denmark in 2003. The government formed in November 2001 by the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Conservative Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti), headed by Liberal leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen, continued in office. The next parliamentary elections will be held in 2005.

On 27 April 2004, the government issued a proposal for the future administrative structure of Denmark, entitled 'The new Denmark' (Det nye Danmark [1]). This proposal - which is based, among other elements, on an extensive report on the Danish county/municipal structure - has been drawn up by a so-called Structure Commission (Strukturkommissionen) and aims to reform the present administrative structure in the direction of fewer and larger counties and municipalities. Presently, Denmark has 13 counties, 269 municipalities and three areas with special status as both county and municipality (Copenhagen, Frederiksberg and Bornholm) [1] http://www.detnyedanmark.dk/

Under transitional arrangements agreed by the EU and new Member States in central and eastern Europe which join in 1 May 2004, the existing Member States may limit movements of workers from the new Member States for a period of up to seven years after enlargement. In December 2003, a majority in the Danish parliament (Folketinget) supported a government proposal to introduce such transitional limitations (DK0312103F [1]). Thus Denmark has joined the other 'old' Member States, with the exception of Ireland, in taking a number of precautions in order to prevent any fears of an excessive movement of workers from the east. In terms of the nature of its transitional measures, Denmark is in the middle of the EU range, with Ireland at one extreme and Germany and Austria at the other (the latter have reportedly acted to restrict all movement of workers from the central and eastern European countries for the full seven-year transition period). [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/transitional-scheme-agreed-for-workers-from-central-and-eastern-europe