Small increase in working days lost to strike action

An annual report from Statistics Denmark shows a minor increase in days lost due to work stoppages compared with the previous year. Overall, the data confirm that a relatively modest number of working days were lost due to industrial conflict in 2007. The number of days lost in the public sector decreased considerably; however, a significant increase was recorded in the manufacturing sector. Strike activity in Denmark can be ranked with other EU Member States.

The annual results on work stoppages, published by Statistics Denmark (Danmarks Statistik), 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 for the number of working days lost (DK0706039I). Collective bargaining 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.

Sectoral differences

The number of working days lost in the manufacturing sector rose from 11,000 days in 2006 to 39,900 days in 2007. Most parts of this sector reported large increases in the number of working days lost. Iron and metal production alone experienced an increase of 20,100 lost working days from 2006 to 2007 (see Table 2 below). In contrast, a substantial decrease was found in the number of working days lost in the public sector at state, regional and municipal levels: in 2007, the public sector lost 18,600 working days as a result of conflict, whereas in 2006 some 62,400 working days were lost.

Sectoral collective bargaining during 2007 can explain the increase in lost working days in the manufacturing sector. In 2006, the unusually high number of days lost in the public sector was due to a single comprehensive strike among child and youth educators in the municipalities.

Trends in work stoppages and days lost

In 2007, some 862 work stoppages occurred, compared with 476 strikes in 2006 (Figure 1). On average, 106 working days were lost for each conflict in 2007 compared with 180 lost working days per conflict in 2006. The majority (80%) of working days lost were as a result of conflicts in the first six months of 2007.

Figure 1: Number of work stoppages, 1996–2007

Notes: From 1996, the statistics cover all conflicts. Previously, only conflicts amounting to more than 100 working days were included. The data on work stoppages cover both official and unofficial strikes in the private sector as well as in the public sector.

Source: Statistics Denmark

Number of work stoppages, 1996–2007

In terms of the number of working days lost due to strikes, the most significant fluctuation can be observed from 1997 to 1999 (Figure 2). In 1998, a conflict of interest broke out in connection with the conclusion of collective bargaining in the private sector, lasting 11 days and resulting in the loss of more than three million working days (DK9804166N). In 2000, the memory of events in 1998 was still fresh in people’s minds, so the agreements in the private sector were renewed quietly; the social partners agreed that all efforts should be made to reach a settlement. This resulted in few lost working days.

Figure 2: Working days lost, 1996–2007 (000s)

Source: Statistics Denmark

Working days lost, 1996–2007 (000s)

In 2002, however, the numbers rose again. It is unusual that so many working days should be lost through industrial action in a year – such as 2002 – when no bargaining over new collective agreements took place. In fact, the large number of lost working days was a consequence of a change in government at the end of 2001, when a liberal-conservative coalition government took over from the Social Democrats (Socialdemokraterne) (DK0112147F). At the beginning of 2002, the new government presented a so-called ‘freedom package’ for the labour market, which met much resistance from the trade unions. According to the conflict statistics of the Confederation of Danish Employers (Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening, DA), as a result of this tension, many strikes were called due to political disputes (DK0303102F).

Table 1 summarises the results of strike activity in Denmark between 2002 and 2007, while Table 2 highlights the top three economic sectors affected by industrial action each year over the same period.

Note: The data on work stoppages cover both official and unofficial strikes in the private sector as well as in the public sector.

Source: Statistics Denmark

Source: Statistics Denmark

International comparison

Looking at the figures and tables, relatively modest development seems to characterise industrial action in Denmark, with the exception of the findings for 1998. Compared with data from other EU Member States and Norway, Denmark was below the average in 2006 – which amounted to 129,600 working days lost due to industrial action. Nonetheless, Denmark was ranked in seventh place (85,800) after strike-prone countries such as Spain (927,402), the UK (755,000), Italy (485,375), Germany (428,739) and Belgium (88,941) (TN0804039S). Norway records a surprisingly high number of working days lost (146,758), standing at number five on the list for 2006. Sweden is well below Denmark and Norway in this regard for each year from 2004 to 2007. In 2005, Denmark was also number seven on the list. This indicates that Denmark has a relatively high number of working days lost due to strike action compared with other small European countries.

Carsten Jørgensen, FAOS