Morning Briefing – Friday, June 14

The Copenhagen Post’s daily digest of what the Danish press is reporting

Consumers wary of new US deal

Consumer organisations have warned trade minister Pia Olsen Dyhr (Socialistisk Folkeparti) that a free trade agreement between the EU and the USA could weaken consumer protection. Benedicte Federspiel from consumer advocates Forbrugerrådet argued that the potential deal could have catastrophic consequences and endanger transparency in trade. – Politiken

Public schools get funding boost

The government and the councils agreed on a financial deal that will send more money to public schools. Finance minister Bjarne Corydon (Socialdemokraterne) finalised a package yesterday that will send schools an extra 200 million kroner next year, and give them a 400 million kroner bump in 2015. – Jyllands-Posten

Local politicians want more money

The vast majority of local politicians want the government to relax its strict spending policies next year. According to a new survey compiled by Berlingske Research, 83 percent of local council politicians were “in total agreement” or “agreed to an extent” to an easing of spending policy, arguing that  more spending would encourage growth. – Berlingske

Environmental oversight planes misused

Challenger aircraft that were intended to be used for environmental monitoring of the seas to meet international protocols have instead been used by the royal family and for VIP trips for ministers, according a new report from the Danish tactical air command, Flyvertaktisk Kommando. –Ingeniøren

TDC could turn to Chinese for help

Telecom giant TDC is considering a bid from Chinese equipment producer Huawei to operate and modernise their mobile phone network. Huawei is expected to underbid TDC’s existing deal with Swedish company Ericsson, which has been in place since 2008. Some officials are worried that the move will compromise security. – Børsen

Mediator refused to shake female student’s hand

An exam mediator for a math exam at Herning HF and VUC caused a stir when he refused to shake the hands of the female students due to religious reasons. A number of the students were upset and wanted a new mediator. Despite appealing to several ministries, their pleas were rejected. The students said that they did not want to be discriminated against because of their sex. – Information

Okore signs with Villa

Jores Okore completed a 35-million kroner transfer to Premier League outfit Aston Villa from FC Nordsjælland yesterday. The 20-year-old signed a four-year contract with the Birmingham club and said he looked forward to playing on a young team. Okore may be joined by young Aalborg striker Nicklas Helenius who also looks close to completing a Villa move. – Tipsbladet





  • 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.