Denmark: new collective agreement reached in industry

On 9 February, the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and the Central Organisation of Industrial Employees in Denmark (CO-industri) struck a deal on a new collective agreement for industry. The agreement extends parental leave with full pay from a total of 13 weeks to 16 weeks. Eight of these weeks will be earmarked for the father, while five will be reserved for the mother and the final three shared between the parents. Furthermore, individuals will have greater scope to pay part of their salary into a so-called optional pay account, which can be converted into time off or higher pension contributions (Fritvalgs Lønkonto).
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On this latter point, the amount employees can pay into their optional pay account will rise by one percentage point in each of the three years the collective agreement is to last, increasing from 4% to 7%. The collective agreement also allows this account to be used to take leave to care for sick children.

Trainees and apprentices will become eligible to enrol in a pension scheme from an earlier stage under the new deal. Those who opt to continue working after reaching the state retirement age

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