and Trade Practices - Denmark
Released by the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
U.S. Department of State, March 2000
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work: There is no legally mandated work week or national minimum wage. The work week set by labor contracts is 37 hours. The lowest wage in any national labor agreement is equal to about $11 per hour. Danish law provides for five weeks of paid vacation each year. However, both private and public sector contract agreements since 1998 provide for 2 to 3 extra holidays plus up to 3 extra days off each year for wage earners with children. Danish law also prescribes conditions of work, including safety and health; duties of employers, supervisors, and employees; work performance; rest periods and days off; medical examinations; and maternity leave. The DWES ensures compliance with work place legislation. Danish law provides for government-funded parental and educational leave programs.
Similar conditions, except for leave programs, are found in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, but in these areas the workweek is 40 hours. Unemployment benefits in Greenland are either contained in labor contract agreements or come from the general social security system. A general unemployment insurance system in the Faroe Islands has been in force since 1992. Sick pay and maternity pay, as in Denmark, fall under the social security system.
