Greenland’s labour market partners defend the Nordic model

Greenland’s largest trade union, SIK, sees the USA as such a serious threat to Greenland and the country’s labour market that the union’s long-serving President, Jess G. Bertelsen, a few weeks before the parliamentary elections in March 2025, has decided to run for a seat in Greenland’s parliament Inatsisartut.

Jess G. Bertelsen is the President of Greenland’s largest trade union, SIK.

“Greenland is suddenly in a very strange and dangerous situation, and all good forces are really needed to defend our country and labour market,” Bertelsen told the Nordic Labour Journal. 

The interview took place half an hour after Jess Bertelsen had launched his candidature for the Siumut party for the parliamentary elections on 11 March 2025. He has been the SIK President and a key person in Greenland’s labour market for more than three decades and has seen a lot. 

Yet he is shocked that US President Donald Trump has mentioned using force against Greenland as an option.

“It is deeply concerning that Trump will not rule out using force to gain more power over Greenland. In just one and a half months, the political situation has turned very serious, and we have to adapt to it.”

A good Nordic model

As a politician, Jess G. Bertelsen wants to pursue the governing party Siumut’s policies, and he is very much in favour of securing close and equal cooperation with Denmark and the EU in particular, he explains.

He is a strong proponent of independence but urges constraint in the current political situation. Greenland’s relationship with the Kingdom of Denmark traditionally takes up a lot of the political debate before an election in Greenland, and parts of the Greenlandic population are very much in favour of full independence from Denmark.

This issue plays a significant role in the Greenlandic election campaign and has also gained international attention after Donald Trump’s statements about Greenland. 

That is why Jess Bertelsen sees it as an important job to make Greenland’s population understand that they should not hope to become employees in an American labour market and that American interference in Greenlandic affairs could disrupt the way the Greenlandic labour market functions today. 

“We know how members of US trade unions are being treated and how the US treats people who have economic challenges. We do not wish this. We have a really good Nordic model in our labour market and we need to defend this now.”

Fight for raw materials 

The SIK President observes that certain Greenlandic politicians, in their fight for independence from Denmark, have communicated in the US public sphere in ways that might give the US President and administration the impression that Greenland would be willing to subordinate itself to the USA. 

“A few politicians in Greenland are courting the USA in a way that mistakenly appears as an official Greenlandic standpoint. That is dangerous," says Jess Bertelsen. 

He sees no good alternatives to the economic and security guarantees that Greenland receives as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

“If Greenland gains self-governance, we must be able to finance our way of life. Greenland cannot be both independent and deeply dependent on others. And in the world that is now emerging, Greenland must cooperate closely with like-minded people, including Denmark.”

Jess Bertelsen also worries about what would happen to Greenland’s raw materials if Trump’s desires in Greenland were fulfilled. 

“Trump’s signals towards Ukraine show just how important access to raw materials is to the USA. The same goes for Greenland’s subterranean resources. Our raw materials are our own, and we decide over how they are managed.”

Calm employers

Greenland’s largest business and employer organisation, the Greenland Business Association (GE) agrees with the SIK President that Greenland is best served by having a Nordic labour market model but has a slightly different perspective on the signals from the US.

“One of our jobs is to promote Greenland as a country worth investing in, and in that respect, the Nordic labour market model with strong, autonomous partners is an enormous advantage.

Christian Keldsen is the Director of the Greenland Business Association (GE). 

"We also see no imminent threat against this, and we stay completely calm,” Christian Keldsen, Director of GE, tells the Nordic Labour Journal.

He points out that there is no formal decision for what the US wants in Greenland. 

“The US is presumably focused on security and raw materials, not on annexing Greenland and turning the Greenlandic labour market into a part of the American one,” he says. 

The Greenland Business Association is working to get Greenland’s government to create frameworks that enable both Greenlandic and foreign companies to extract natural resources in the country.

“This should happen with respect for our labour market and environment, but if the government doesn’t exploit the opportunities or demand while they exist, Greenland risks that the resource extraction adventure is cancelled altogether.” 

Christian Keldsen points out that Greenland is competing with other countries and new technologies, and could see its underground resources become less attractive. 

“Right now, Greenland’s underground resources are in demand, but market prices and demand for our raw materials are crucial for whether they remain attractive. Timing is important,” he says. 

The Greenland Business Association takes no position on the politically sensitive issue of independence. 

“We work to give Greenland greater economic autonomy through a strong business sector, which again needs a well-functioning labour market based on the Nordic model,” says Christian Keldsen.