Denmark: the union war at the Vejle restaurant, the symbol of the rivalry between traditional and ‘yellow’ unions

Until November 2011, the Vejlegården restaurant in the city of Vejle applied the national collective agreement 3F signed with the Horesta employers’ organization.  However, the new owner, Amin Skov Badrbeigi, affiliated with the Christian employers’ organization, Kristelig Arbejdsgiverforening (KA), signed a collective agreement with the KRIFA Christian union (Kristelig Fagbevægelse, see our dispatch No.  120361) which imposes a new collective agreement.  The difference, in addition to the major pay cut – waiters under the Horesta/3F agreement earns DKK 6,633 (nearly €894) more each month – 3F claims that most working conditions are less advantageous for the employees.  For instance, regarding working time, the new collective agreement allows bringing the work week from 37 up to 45 hours without paying overtime.