News — Nordic Labour Journal

German-style pay cuts tempt Finnish employers, fuels mistrust

(Feb 08, 2013) In Finland a hot debate on the lowering wages kicked off at the start of the year, reflecting a deep lack of trust between employers and employees which had been brewing for years.

New employment policy for Denmark

(Feb 08, 2013) Municipal job centres will undergo a thorough review and might need a total overhaul. Previous employment measures do not work, the government says.

The Icesave conflict: Iceland did not break the rules

(Jan 31, 2013) Icelanders rejoice. The Efta court says Iceland did not break EEA rules when refusing to pay compensation to customers of the Icelandic online bank Icesave. Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is critical of the other Nordic countries for not supporting Iceland during the dispute.

OECD: Sweden has the most immigrants - Iceland has the most jobs for them

(Dec 13, 2012) Sweden has the highest proportion of immigrants. Iceland, where the number of immigrants has doubled in ten years, is fast reaching the same level.

Iceland’s plan for bridging the pay gap

(Nov 15, 2012) Iceland’s government and the social partners have reached a new gender pay gap deal. In the next two years they aim to reduce the gap and to agree on a project plan with joint solutions and measures. Their goal is equal pay for equal work. The public sector should set an example for other employers.

Norway renegotiates tri-partite inclusive workplace agreement

(Nov 15, 2012) ‘Everyone’ was there when Norway’s Ministry of Labour staged its annual conference on the inclusive workplace agreement. It was also the first public meeting between the new Director General at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise and the President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.

Iceland's new labour market policy focuses on young men

(Nov 12, 2012) Iceland is developing a labour market policy for the period leading up to 2020, the first such policy the country has ever had. There are more people with low education in Iceland than elsewhere in Europe. Experts say the most important thing now is to develop a strategy for educating young men.

How to increase equality in Norway

(Oct 11, 2012) From next year Norway increases parental leave to 49 weeks. Yet months of daddy leave and nursery places for all children do not automatically make for a less gender segregated labour market nor does it make the male dominance in top jobs disappear, warns Professor Hege Skjeie, who has been heading the largest report on equality in Norway so far.

Unemployment benefit cuts undermine the Danish model

(Oct 08, 2012) Danish trade unions warn cuts to unemployment benefits are undermining the Danish labour market model.

Nordic worry over EU internal market package

(Oct 08, 2012) The European Commission’s proposal for how to apply the EU directive on the posting of workers must not limit our powers to control foreign companies! That was the unified message from government officials, authority representatives, the social partners and researchers from all Nordic countries when they met in Oslo to discuss how to deal with what remains of the the so-called internal market package.

New drive to get young unemployed Danes into education and jobs

(Sep 20, 2012) The Danish government launches another youth package to offer education to nearly 100,000 young people on benefits - many of whom have no further education at all. Meanwhile the effects of previous youth packages are beginning to materialise.

The right use of space improves office work

(Sep 16, 2012) Disturbing sounds like high volume conversations are often an environmental problem in workplaces, and it can lead to loss of concentration and more mistakes being made. Now new research out of Finland shows it is possible to reduce such inconveniences through flexible space concepts.

Unions in retreat across Europe

(Sep 14, 2012) Trade unions have lost members and influence over the past 20 years in almost all European countries. High unemployment, an increasingly deregulated labour market and weaker safety nets makes many workers weary of putting their demands forwards and to become union members. Unions in several countries also criticise what they see as a relatively self-congratulatory Nordic model.

Emergency rescue plan for Denmark’s long-term unemployed

(Sep 10, 2012) The debate over Danish unemployment benefit rules carries on despite political action.

Nordic opposition to minimum wage shows lack of solidarity?

(May 22, 2012) Should we have a statutory minimum wage? Absolutely not say Nordic trade unions, and they’re usually backed by employers’ organisations. It’s an attitude people elsewhere in Europe find difficult to understand.