Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening
Cooperation as the basis of growth and development
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Employers, employees and the Municipality of Aarhus all have a common interest in seeing commercial growth and development in Aarhus. So when the Danish Employers’ Confederation (DA) places labour market and local business politics on the agenda, it therefore takes place in close cooperation with both the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the municipality.
“We are less concerned about ideology and more about development, growth and job creation”, says Niels Opstrup, a lawyer and chairman of DA Aarhus.
As he says himself, the old animosities of the past are long since dead and gone.
“The class struggle is no longer an issue. We work in constructive cooperation with the employee organisations in order to improve conditions for and within businesses, which is something the employees, the authorities and the employers can usually agree about.
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A good example of such cooperation is the Municipality of Aarhus’ Business Contact Committee and the Employment Contact Committee.”
“Despite conflicts of interest in the past, the Business Contact Committee has prepared two action plans aimed at increasing the supply of labour, the Employment Action Plan, as well as increasing the demand for labour, the Business Action Plan,” adds Niels Opstrup.
DA Aarhushas an Executive Committee consisting of employers appointed by DA’s member organisations.
The composition of the Committee closely mirrors the local business structure, which means that all-important sectors such as industry, the retail trade, transport, the trades and construction are represented.
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The objective of the more than 100-year-old organisation is to ensure that businesses are able to recruit qualified employees, both in the short and the long term, without having to jeopardise competitiveness.
Niels Opstrup is satisfied with the local situation.
“In Denmark, Aarhus holds the record when it comes to creating new jobs and business growth. A major reason for this is the positive relationship that exists between the municipality and the labour market parties.
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We must maintain Aarhus’ position as an active commercial centre, while at the same time ensuring that the conditions are such that they allow new, smaller businesses to grow and thus contribute to the technological development.”
Niels Opstrup sees Aarhus as holding a leading position, examples being the areas of food processing and IT where researchers and industrialists are working together to encourage new growth and development, while always bearing in mind that this development must be sustainable.
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