The rights and obligations of employees in Denmark

As an employee in Denmark, you are protected by a number of laws and possibly by a collective agreement. There is no single law on the rights of employees in Denmark – your rights depend on your work, your employment contract and whether your workplace is covered by a collective agreement.

In the Danish labour market, wages and many working conditions are often agreed between the employers’ organisations and the trade unions in collective agreements. If you are in doubt about your rights, you should first of all check your employment contract and any collective agreement that applies in your workplace.

As an employee in Denmark, you may for example have the right to written information about your most important terms of employment, holidays and holiday pay, rules on working hours and rest periods, a safe and healthy working environment and protection against discrimination.

Your specific rights will depend on your job, your employment contract, if any, and the laws that apply to your work.

As an employee, you must normally perform your work as agreed, follow the workplace rules and cooperate to maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

Special obligations may also be stated in your employment contract or agreement.

There is no statutory minimum wage in Denmark – your wages are typically stated in your employment contract or in a collective agreement.

If you are covered by a collective agreement, this may contain rules governing wages, wage supplements, working hours, holidays, pensions and other working conditions.

If you have problems with your working conditions, you should usually first of all talk to your employer. You can also contact your union representative, occupational health representative or trade union, if there is one at your workplace.

If the problem concerns the working environment, you can contact the Danish Working Environment Authority. If the problem relates to discrimination, you can complain to the Equal Treatment Board (Ligebehandlingsnævnet). If your employer goes bankrupt, you can read about the Employees Guarantee Fund (LG).

If your employer has sent you temporarily to Denmark to work, you may be what is referred to as a posted worker. Posted workers have a number of minimum rights in Denmark. You can read about the rules at Workplace Denmark.