Nurses, midwives, laboratory technicians, physiotherapists and nursing aides walked off their jobs last week to demand a 15 percent wage hike over three years to bring them on a par with their colleagues in the private sector. Over 20,000 members of the union Trade and Labour (FOA) that organizes nursing home and kindergarten employees also went on strike.
The strike is the first major social conflict in Denmark since 1998 and is broadly supported by the Danish public. Employers are willing to give 12.8 percent increase only, but the healthcare workers are demanding for at least 15 percent, to be at par with other Nordic countries.


