Today’s headlines – Friday, Dec 14

Metro neighbours taking noise complaints to Euro courts
A group of Copenhagen residents living close to Metro construction sites is considering complaining to the human rights court in Strasbourg in order to force construction crews to reduce noise levels or to be awarded compensation. A law professor from Aarhus University said it would not be the first time that noise complaint cases end up at the human rights courts. Metroselskabet, the company that operates the Metro, had informed residents earlier this year that construction of the Cityring extension was entering its noisiest phase. While it said it cannot avoid making noise, it said it respected the group’s decision to complain to the court. – MetroXpress

Unions ready to sue over Greenland wage law
Labour groups 3F and LO have announced that they are prepared to complain to the UN should parliament approve changes to Greenlandic law that would allow mining companies operating there to import cheap labour. Citing Greenland’s semi-autonomous status, the government is widely expected to approve the law that would require changes to Danish immigration laws. Danish labour organisations warn that if that happens they will complain to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN organ that oversees international labour standards. Legal experts say unions have a good case, but Greenlandic authorities interpret the ILO conventions as applying to public-sector employees, not those employed in the private sector. – Politiken

More classroom authority for school administrators proposed
High school teachers could wind up losing control over how they organise their workday if the finance minister, Bjarne Corydon (Socialdemokraterne), has his say in upcoming collective bargaining negotiations, according to a report obtained by Berlingske newspaper. The government wants to give secondary-school administrators more responsibility for how much time teachers use to teach and prepare for class. Teachers at state-run high schools and vocational schools use about nine hours a week teaching, which is the lowest in the OECD. Corydon declined to comment on the report, but earlier this month, the government unveiled a similar plan for primary schools. – Berlingske

Handball ladies miss semis despite win
The Danish handball ladies are out of medal contention at the European Championships despite beating group winners Norway 35-33 in their final group match. Denmark’s third straight win over the 2012 Olympic champions meant little because Serbia had beaten France earlier in the day to take second place in the group and the final spot in the semis. Norway finished top of the group with eight points, followed by Serbia with seven points and Denmark with six. Denmark will instead have to play Russia for fifth place, which will not give an automatic bid to next year's World Cup, as Coach Jan Pytlick originally believed. – Ekstrabladet

Weather
Cloudy with some rain and snow. Daytime highs around 0 C. Temperatures falling to -2 C. Winds gusting at times. – DMI





  • 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.