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The Danish fishing industry and 3F Transport have signed a new collective agreement, which will apply to employees onboard fishing vessels.
The Danish Fisheries Association, the Danish Pelagic Producer Organisation and 3F Transport have put their signatures on a new collective agreement, which will apply to the approximately 1,200 employees on board the Danish fishing vessels.
It is an agreement that cements that Danish fishing is in a class of its own in terms of social sustainability.
“I am really happy that we have made ends meet and entered into an agreement that ensures good conditions for all employees in Danish fisheries, and which overall contributes to making it attractive to work in Danish fisheries. It is unique that all vessels in Danish fishing are covered by the agreement, and I am very proud of that,” says Svend-Erik Andersen, chairman of the Danish Fisheries Association.
3F Transport is also happy that they have now reached an agreement.
“I am very happy that we have ensured that the hourly wage rate has been raised in line with the other collective agreements in the labor market. I am also very satisfied that with the agreement we are taking a step towards securing good pension conditions for Danish fishermen with a historic increase. Finally, I confirm that our agreement protects against unfair competition from foreign labour, so that everyone in Danish fishing is employed on equal terms, regardless of which country they come from,” says Karsten Kristensen, 3F’s dealer and deputy chairman of 3F Transport.
Balanced deal
The main element of the agreement is still a remuneration of the crew as a percentage of the turnover on the vessels. In addition, a minimum payment and pension rates are set.
Here, the agreement is completely in line with the agreements that have been concluded in the other parts of the private labor market. Concretely, this means that the minimum wage (per hour) will be raised from DKK 181 (€24.30/£21.30) to DKK 187 (€25.10/£22.10) in 2023 and DKK 193 (€26.000/£22.700) in 2024. In addition, the rate for calculating pensions will be raised to DKK 200 (€26.80/£23.50) in 2023 and DKK 215 (€25.90/£25.30) in 2024. At the same time, the employer’s pension contribution will be raised from 10% to 11%.
In addition, the agreement contains a separate section that ensures that labor from third countries is employed on the same terms as Danish fishermen. Finally, the agreement also secures the apprentices in Danish fishing, who can both look forward to more pay and better pension conditions. The agreement thus contributes to making it attractive for young people to choose fishing.
“I am happy that we are also improving the conditions for the young people who are going into fishing. Overall, I would therefore also like to thank 3F for a good and confidential collaboration on a balanced agreement that would like to ensure that the fishing industry is attractive for everyone,” says Svend-Erik Andersen.
The agreement is included in an overall mediation outline together with agreements from other industries, and it must be voted on within the next few weeks.
