Denmark
Key Facts
| Population | 5,535,000 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 80% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 67% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
industry – but much left to company negotiations |
| Workplace Representation |
union |
| Board-level Representation |
yes: state-owned and private companies |
| Company Board Structure |
dualistic |
Trade Union
Union density is high in Denmark, at almost 70%, although it has fallen in recent years. Most union members are organised in unions associated with the three main confederations – LO, FTF and AC. These are organised on occupational and educational lines, although the boundaries between the three are not precise.
more ...Collective Bargaining
Bargaining at national level provides a framework for much of the Danish industrial relations system. Pay and conditions are negotiated between unions or “cartels” of unions and the employers at industry level, but complementary negotiations at company level are becoming increasingly important. Overall 80% of employees are covered by collective bargaining.
more ...Workplace Representation
Unions are central to workplace representation in Denmark. Local union representatives take up employees’ concerns with management and are often also members of the main information and consultation body – the cooperation committee.
more ...Board-level Representation
Employee representation at board level starts with companies with 35 employees and they have one third of the seats.
more ...European-level Representation
The cooperation committee chooses most employee representatives for European level bodies. The one exception relates to board level representatives in a European Company – they must be elected by the workforce.
more ...Health and Safety
In undertakings employing 10 workers or more, a safety rep must be elected by the employees in each area of work.
more ...Financial Participation
Part of the debate over the concept of “Economic Democracy” has been focusing on employee financial participation since the 1950’s. The results of the “European Company Survey” show Denmark achieving a top place (13%) in the incidence of share ownership schemes in companies with 10 or more employees. Looking at profit sharing schemes, Denmark’s prevalence of 14% gives it an above-average position.
more ...