Plenty to fight for
Delegates are feeling the pressure in the workplace, and plenty of areas need to be addressed and improved. Those were the words of Dorrit Brandt, President of Finansforbundet, when the local branches were gathered in Nyborg for a bargaining conference to prepare for OK25.
Demands from nine local branches
This was also clear when the local branches took turns on the podium to explain what they each think is particularly important to focus on in the upcoming negotiations.
Variations on the theme of pay increases and more flexibility were some of the suggestions.
"It’s important that the collective agreement enables us to lead a full life in case of unexpected occurrences," said Kirsten Ebbe Brich who is local branch president of Finansforbundet at Danske Bank.
Jannie Skovsen, local branch president of Finansforbundet’s Spar Nord branch, emphasised the importance of having dreams while at the same time keeping the demands realistic.
"We need to select our demands wisely", she said.
Kasper Skovgaard Pedersen, who is local branch president of Finansforbundet at Nordea, would like employers to stop threatening to move jobs abroad:
"If you want a committed and highly-skilled workforce, Denmark and the Nordics are where you want to be, and that means offering the right pay."
Initially, the delegates had collected 135 demands, which the local branches were working with.
Prior to the bargaining conference, they were compiled and grouped, and this served the foundation for intense work throughout the day in theme groups and through plenary debate.
Having completed the bargaining conference, Finansforbundet is now ready to share its demands with employers in the late autumn.
After that, the actual collective bargaining will begin by negotiations between the parties in mid-January.