The Danish government's legislative programme 2023/2024: employment and labour law initiatives
Amendments to the Industrial Injuries Insurance Act, etc
With this bill, the government aims to improve the industrial injuries system, making it easier for individual affected by industrial injuries to achieve self-reliance and retain their connection to labour market. The bill also aims to reduce processing time and simplify the process of obtaining compensation for workplace violence, etc.
It includes several amendments to the Industrial Injuries Insurance Act, along with consequential amendments to a number of other acts related to employment law.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the first half of October 2023.
Amendments to the Act on the Danish Labour Market Supplementary Pension ("ATP"), and various other acts
The bill aims to streamline ATP administration and reduce the administrative burden on employers. This is to be done by enabling collection of ATP in Samlet Betaling ["total employers' contributions") in future. In Samlet Betaling, employers pay a total contribution to mandatory schemes, including employers' training contribution ("AUB") and contribution to Barsel.dk (Barsel.dk reimburses private employers who pay salary to employees during parental leave and self-employed or private entrepreneurs going on parental leave). At the same time, the government will lay down rules concerning a right of set-off, making it impossible for employers not to pay contributions and still receive payments from AUB or reimbursement from Barsel.dk.
The bill also includes additional national regulations for processing personal data and provides Udbetaling Danmark with the ability to impose fees for sending reminders.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of October 2023.
Amendments to the Act on Safety at Sea (lov om sikkerhed til søs) and the Act on Seafarers' Employment, m.v. (lov om søfarendes asættelsesforhold, etc)
The bill aims to adjust the level of fines for violation of maritime safety regulations to comply with the level of fines on land. The bill also proposes that all amendments related to seafarers' employment, etc, previously governed by the Seafarers' Act, can be implemented for Greenland by a royal decree.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of October 2023.
Amendments to the Holiday Act (ferieloven) and the Act on Management of Residual Holiday Funds (lov om forvaltning og administration af tilgodehavende feriemidler)
The bill introduces, among other measures, two lower thresholds for the payment of accrued, unclaimed holiday pay, aiming to reduce the overall amount of unclaimed funds. It also proposes that employers should no longer be required to annually notify the relevant parties about retaining residual holiday funds within the company. This change is intended to address the issue that many employers fail to provide such notifications, resulting in the unintended transfer of these claims to the Danish Tax Agency and the Employees' Guarantee Fund (Lønmodtagernes Garantifond), where payment becomes immediately due.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the first half of November 2023.
Amendments to the Act implementing the Directive on the Organisation of Working Time
The bill aims to implement the Court of Justice of the European Union's case law, introducing an obligation to maintain records of employees' daily working hours and allowing for exceptions to the 48-hour rule, which limits employees to an average of 48 working hours per week over a four-month period.
The bill is expected to be introduced in the first half of November 2023, and it is expected to come into force on 1 January 2024.
Amendments to the Working Environment Act (arbejdsmiljøloven) and the Industrial Injury Act (arbejdsskadesikringsloven)
The bill aims, among other things, to simplify the response types and instruments used by the Working Environment Authority, introducing single, clear directions when immediate action is required from a company. Additionally, it seeks to require employers to provide affected employees with asbestos protocols.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the first half of November 2023.
Amendments to the Social Pensions Act (lov om social pension) and a number of other acts
The bill proposes adjustments in four areas related to health-related early retirement and flexible jobs This includes introducing an opt-out option allowing individuals with disabilities who are not working to transfer their pension supplements to health-related early retirement or state pension if they move to another EU/EEA country. Additionally, the bill proposes revising calculation rules for flexible job subsidies, including concerning loss of earnings and inter-municipal reimbursement for health-related early retirement and senior pensions. It also aims to clarify rules supporting freedom of contract in flexi job employment for sectors not covered by collective agreements.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of November 2023.
Amendments to the Consolidation Act on Entitlement to Leave and Benefits in the Event of Childbirth (Barselsloven)
With the bill, the government aims to introduce the right to additional 26 weeks of maternity/paternity leave benefits for parents of twins. Each parent will receive 13 weeks extra non-transferable leave, which must be taken before the child turns one year. The bill also includes special provisions for single parents and social parents.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of January 2024.
Amendments to the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik)
The bill aims to ensure that Denmark complies with EU obligations by removing restrictions on short stays in other EU/EEA countries for recipients of cash benefits.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the first half of February 2024.
Amendments to the Active Social Policy Act, etc (lov om aktiv socialpolitik)
The bill aims to implement changes to the cash benefits system, including a new requirement for individuals in need of integration to work 37 hours.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of February 2024.
Amendment of the Unemployment Insurance Act (arbejdsløshedsforsikringsloven), the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik), the Social Pensions Act (lov om social pension), and other acts
The bill aims to neutralise the impact on welfare payment adjustment resulting from the abolition of Store Bededag as a holiday. It proposes a one-year correction by applying a percentage deduction of 0.45% in the annual adjustment of transfer payments, reflecting the equivalent pay increase for employed individuals.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of February 2024.
Amendments to the Social Pensions Act (lov om social pension) and a number of other acts
The bill aims to exclude retirement savings contributions from the income base when calculating certain benefits, if the beneficiary, their spouse/partner, or other members of the household are making such contributions.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of February 2024.
Legislation regarding the implementation of key elements of the agreement to create a future-proof working environment and prevent social dumping, along with provisions for the authorisation of companies handling asbestos
The bill aims to introduce an authorisation scheme for companies handling asbestos. The bill also proposes an extension of the future display of data related to the working environment. This includes that the scheme must also include data on inspections and decisions relating to foreign companies.
The bill is expected to be introduced during the last half of February 2024.
Plesner closely monitors the legislative process
We closely monitor the legislative work in Parliament. We continuously publish news in line with the adoption and enactment of various bills.
Read the government's legislative programme for 2023/2024 (in Danish)