Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides
information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway
which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Denmark: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals
Phase
The Danish Act on Collective Redundancies (Consolidation Act no. 291 of 22 March 2010)
Native name
Bekendtgørelse af lov om varsling m.v. i forbindelse med afskedigelser af større omfang (LBK nr 291 af 22/03/2010)
Type
Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals
Added to database
08 May 2015
Article
Articles 6 (2), 7 (1), 7 (3), 7 (4), Section 5
Description
Employers must inform the relevant regional employment council of the negotiations with the employees’ representatives on collective dismissals (within 30 days, dismissals of at least 10 workers in companies with 21-99 employees, at least 10% in companies with 100-299 employees and at least 30 dismissals in larger firms). The outcome of such negotiations must be sent to the regional employment councils in writing at the same time as the first notice to employees.
Information to be provided: reason for the proposed redundancies, total number of employees employed and period during which the proposed redundancies will be made.
The earliest date that the dismissals can take effect is 30 days after notice of the dismissals has been given to the regional employment council and the staff.
In the case of a company with at least 100 employees where at least 50% of the workforce is to be dismissed, the dismissals cannot take effect until eight weeks after notification.
Commentary
Collective agreements may provide for a longer period.
Additional metadata
Cost covered by
None
Involved actors other than national government
Regional/local government
Trade union
Works council
Involvement (others)
None
Thresholds
Affected employees: 10 Company size: 21 Additional information: No, applicable in all circumstances
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities/Héra (2011). Selected companies’ legal obligations regarding restructuring
Ius Laboris (2009). Collective Redundancies Guide, Brussels
Alpha Consulting (2003). Anticipating & Managing Change - A dynamic approach to the social aspects of corporate restructuring, Brussels, European Commission
Citation
Eurofound (2015), Denmark: Public authorities information and consultation on dismissals, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin,
https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/public-authorities-information-and-consultation-on-dismissals/denmark
This Eurofound research paper explores key trends in restructuring in recent years, highlighting the companies that announced the largest job losses and job gains in the EU. It builds on an analysis of company announcements recorded in Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), alongside a new classification of restructuring events involving changes in company location.
Employers increasingly use tools such as email, SMS and messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal to communicate with employees. While these technologies offer both efficiency and convenience, their use in communicating sensitive information, particularly for notifying employees of dismissal, raises legal concerns. This article explores the legal framework on dismissals across the EU, with a special focus on the use of digital means for communicating employment dismissals. Drawing on examples from various Member States, it examines the legal validity of digital dismissals.
In 2023, thousands of workers in big tech lost their jobs. Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Salesforce had been considered to offer good and secure jobs up to this point. Giants of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, these companies are among the highest paying, with Eurostat data from 2022 indicating that workers in ICT had the second-highest median gross hourly earnings (surpassed only by earnings in the financial sector).[1] These layoffs were a shock, especially as the biggest companies had hired extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic. What happened in the two years after this redundancy wave – was that the end of the cuts or did the companies start expanding again?
In 2024, the automotive sector in the EU came to the fore in public and policy discussions. The focus was on the slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales, rising global competition, belated investments in new technologies, and the potential closure of production lines in Europe. A number of European car manufacturers and suppliers announced their intention to make large-scale redundancies and change long-standing collective agreements on job security and wages, while workers raised concerns amid demonstrations and industrial action.