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September 26th, 2013

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Union: protect bank whistleblowers better
Bank employees who inform financial oversight authorities that their employer might be on the verge of cracking need better protection, according to Finansforbundet, their union. Currently bank whistleblowers can receive up to nine months pay if they are fired or threatened at work, and only if they can prove there is a connection. Union officials say that without better protection, few employees will come forward and instead proposes two years salary in compensation. The burden of proof should also shift to the employer, the union said. – Politiken

SEE RELATED: Government backs new EU banking regulations

Doctors: don’t make us resuscitate elderly
Nursing home residents should be permitted to decide whether medical staff should resuscitate them in the case of heart failure. Current law requires staff to administer life-saving first aid, even if it is against the wishes of residents. Bruno Melgaard Jensen, the head of the Danish Medical Association, called it “grotesque” that staff could be forced to resuscitate a person they knew did not want to live or who was likely to live for just a short period after. Nurses said they felt it was an “ethical dilemma”. Heart defibrillators have been installed as standard safety equipment in many buildings in recent years and health authorities say they plan to issue new guidelines about when it is acceptable not to attempt to resuscitate a person. – Jyllands-Posten 

SEE RELATED: Danes: Eldercare not a family responsibility

Public sector risks job losses under opposition plan 
The opposition’s proposal to restrict the growth of the public sector will cost jobs, say economists. Venstre, parliament’s largest party, wants to hold the size of the public sector constant starting in 2020. Economists said a constant public-sector budget would mean that lawmakers would need to decide whether to use funds to invest in technological advances or keep the same number of employees. Other points of the proposal, such as privatising a number of services, would also require employees to be let go. – Berlingske 

SEE RELATED: Productivity commission attacks bureaucracy

Concern over loss of digital legacy
Even though it has become commonplace to store most personal information online, few have granted someone in their family access to that information in the case of their death. Failing to do so, according to a report from Copenhagen’s IT University, risks leaving family members without access to their loved one's past. Historians have also expressed concern that the transition to digital could leave them without enough information to draw a clear picture of what life was like at this point in history. One organisation that helps people draw up wills said it had recently begun advising people how best to pass on their digital documents. – Kristeligt Dagblad

SEE RELATED: Moving government online cuts off some groups, advocates worry

Editorial Excerpt | Well-founded mistrust
The idea of replacing a tax on car purchases with a tax on driving is, on the surface, sound. But there are at least two requirements that must be met before it can work. First, commuters need a good alternative to driving. Second, motorists must be given a guarantee that their overall costs must not rise as result of the changes. Neither of the two conditions have been met. – Berlingske

SEE RELATED: Panel wants car owners to pay to drive

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