In other news … (Sept 14 – 20)

Lazy Robert: A Copenhagen resident, Robert Nielsen, admitted on DR News that he is a “lazy bastard” who has not worked and has been taking state money since 2001. Nielsen said he refuses to take a “humiliating” job. Nielsen’s ability to stay below the radar has kicked off an intense debate about holes in the unemployment system. All of the media attention resulted in Nielsen being offered two jobs as a columnist: one from comedian Anders Lund Madsen, and another one from the tabloid BT. ‘Lazy Robert’, as he’s been dubbed by the press, accepted Madsen’s offer but said he is also considering BT’s, which would pay him 2,000 kroner per column.

While skin colour didn't make much of a difference in the study, the presence of a headscarf did (Photo: Colourbox)No scarves, please: Danes are reluctant to allow immigrant women who wear headscarves into the country. That is the conclusion of a study conducted by the weekly newsletter Ugebrevet A4. When shown images of foreigners and told that they wanted to live and work in Denmark, most Danes had no concerns based on the subject’s gender or race. The desire to allow the immigrant into the workforce dropped to below 50 percent, however, if the person in the photograph was a woman in a headscarf, even if they spoke Danish, had a good education and work experience. The scepticism was partly attributed to the tone of the national immigration debate.

Buckle up this weekend if you want to avoid a fine (Photo: Colourbox)Drive carefully: Motorists are warned to be on their best behaviour this weekend. Police nationwide are checking to see if motorists are using their seatbelts or mobile phones while they are driving. One is a good thing, the other … not so much. The current initiative follows one held last March where nearly 8,500 motorists were stopped. During that action, 1,000 motorists were fined for using a handheld device while driving, while more that 2,300 were ticketed for failure to use a seatbelt. The fine for both offences is 1,500 kroner and increases to 2,000 kroner for drivers who do not ensure that under-15s are buckled up.

CPH Post Word of the Week: Stille op (verb) – to stand for office or an elected position. Where you heard it: In the national press’s breathless speculation over which Socialistisk Folkeparti member would look to take Villy Søvndal’s spot as party leader

Last week's top read stories:

1. Copenhagen has too much money

2. When the street is your living room

3. International school receives 200 million kroner for expansion

4. Opinion | Smoking bans and socially incompetent Danes

5. Funen daycare: Sex night is on us





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.