Let’s have it, ‘Luxury Lars’
There is no legal reason why Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the head of the opposition, is prevented from publicising documentation for the cost of his travels as head of CCGI, a climate organisation he chairs, according to media law experts nor the Foreign Ministry. Criticism of Rasmussen has been ratcheted up in recent days, after it was first revealed that he travelled first class using taxpayer money as head of the organisation, and then for refusing to apologise for the way the funds were used. Rasmussen, who has also let Venstre lieutenants deal with the media fallout, has indicated that the CCGI’s bylaws prevent him from publicly releasing the information. – DR Nyheder
READ MORE: A first-class scandal for Luxury Lars
More psychological injuries reported, fewer approved
Even as the number of psychologically related occupational injuries reported to authorities rose at an annual rate of 30 percent last year, to 4,500, the percentage of those receiving official recognition that their condition amounts to a workplace injury has hit a new low of 5 percent. Other types of workplace injuries, such as accidents and skin afflictions, have recognition rates up to 77 percent. The disparity comes despite legislation passed by the current government giving equal status to mental and physical workplace injuries. Unions have now called on occupational health authorities to take mental injuries more seriously, but they have also previously pointed out that claims reviewers have too heavy a workload to do their job properly. – Politiken
READ MORE: Surveys paint blurry picture of workplace stress
White collar flight
As many as a dozen Danske Bank executives have left the nation’s largest bank since 2012, when long-time managing director Peter Skaarup stepped down. A review of the individuals who stepped down – or in some cases were dismissed – and the jobs they moved on to, revealed no particular pattern. “Still, there’s no doubt we’ve seen a certain amount of bloodletting at Danske Bank recently,” said Jykse Bank Analyst Crhistian Hede. The situation has left four of the company’s most senior executive positions unfilled. Hede said the revolving door on the executive corridor was sending a worrisome signal to investors. “It could well be that they use it to their advantage and show they have the guts to fire an executive. But if it happens again and again, then it starts to look like they are just panicking.” – Berlingske Business
Golden parachute dragging down tax minister
A hefty severance bonus paid to an embattled advisor who resigned of his own free will is coming back to haunt the tax minister, Holger Nielsen (Socialistisk Folkeparti). Thomas Brahm resigned in September after he found himself in the media spotlight for sending email to the media that criticised Socialdemokraterne, the prime minister’s party, for flip-flopping on its policy towards paternity leave for fathers. Brahm was given six-months severance, even though Nielsen had no authority to do so, since he was not officially dismissed. – Information
Editorial Excerpt | Løkke Land
Ever since the 2011 general election, Venstre and the opposition have held a comfortable lead in the polls. The government’s flip-flopping has pushed voters to support Lars Løkke Rasmussen as their next prime minister. A Jyllands-Posten poll published this weekend – which didn’t include the effect of Rasmussen’s questionable travel expenses on voters – showed the PM’s Socialdemokraterne lurching forward. If the trend continues, we’ll have a political race on our hands again, and voters will be left with a PM who lied her way to power in 2011 and an opposition leader who apparently has lost all sense of good judgement and ethics when it comes to dealing with public funds. – Jyllands-Posten
