Denmark: government takes measures to better prevent mental and physical wear-out

To provide workers with a “good, long life at work,” the government wants to help businesses improve prevention and make sure that “motivated employees” from certain categories (seniors, sick or injured workers) can keep working if they want to.  This is why it launched, in August, a program redirecting the activity of the Prevention Fund (“Forebyggelsesfonden”).  Created in March 2007 with a capital of DKK 3 billion (€402 million) after an agreement on social wellbeing (“velfærdsaftalen”) in June 2006, which increased retirement age and voluntary early retirement age by two years (see our dispatch No.  110337), the Fund pays for projects to prevent physical and mental wear out with a budget of up to DKK 350 million (nearly €47 million).  The government wants to redirect nearly 1 billion Danish Krones (over €134 million) onto 10 initiatives affecting employees, businesses, organizations and institutions, notably awarding DKK 531m (over €71m) to the prevention of physical and mental wear out and DJJ 484m (€65m) to maintain certain categories of employees at work.  Because of this shift, the Fund is getting a new name: “Prevention and Continuation Fund” (“Fonden for forebyggelse og fastholdelse.”)