Around 79 percent of the union members who voted did so in favour of the agreement, which was reached by union representatives and employer confederations during negotiations earlier this year.

Turnout in the vote was around 60 percent, according to mediation institution Forligsinstitutionen, which released the result of the voting in a press statement.

Employer organisations all voted for the agreement, giving it 100 percent backing on the employers’ side.

The chairperson of the trade union federation FH (Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation), Lisette Risgaard, welcomed members’ decision to accept the deal.

“This is a happy day for all parties. I am proud of all our skilled negotiators who under difficult circumstances have achieved results that members have now approved,” she said in a statement.

Collective bargaining agreements in many sectors of the Danish labour market were thrashed out during the late winter and a draft mediation was presented by FH and the employers’ association DA (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening) on March 22nd, covering areas that lacked an agreement.

Inflation and the government’s decision to scrap the Great Prayer Day holiday were factors that presented challenges in the 2023 negotiations.

Trade unions negotiate with employers’ organisations every few years to develop collective bargaining agreements (overenskomster in Danish) regulating many aspects of Denmark’s labour market, from wages to paid parental leave and pensions. 

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