Strong collective agreements

The Danish Union of Journalists firmly believes that strong collective agreements are the best way to protect our members’ interests in the labour market. We build on centuries of traditions in the Danish labour market according to which employees and employers agree on terms of employment. The so-called “Danish Model” is very helpful in that regard, as it allows the two sides of the industry to enter into collective agreements without government interference.

Over the years, the Danish Union of Journalists has successfully negotiated approximately 75 collective agreements in our relatively small labour market. They range from large agreements covering most of the Danish daily newspaper industry’s 3,000 to 4,000 members to agreements for small companies covering only five or six members. The vision remains the same: As far as possible, our members should be covered by agreements that allow us as a trade union to safeguard their interests in case of a conflict with the employers.

The trade union representative scheme plays a key role in the collective agreements of the Danish Union of Journalists. So too does the commitment of the individual who represents the employees in the workplace. The union representative is the association’s entry points  to the work place, and the Danish Union of Journalists places great emphasis on its relationship with the representatives and their training.