Get support for your work as union representative in the public sector

As a union representative or deputy, you have a lot of obligations. If you set up an IDA club or academic club at your workplace, you will be supported by a board and can delegate tasks that are not part of your duties as a union representative or deputy.

For example, one of your colleagues may be tasked with communicating with your members, while another is made responsible for the practical work of organising your general meeting or professional events.

On this page you'll find a guide to getting started and contact information for IDA employees who can help with the practicalities.

Forming a company group or an academic club?

Employee representation in Denmark is usually organised around groups or clubs based on trade union affiliation and/or professional qualifications. At larger workplaces, there may be more than one group/club, each representing a group of employees. 

If you are 5 engineers/MScs or 5 academics in your workplace, you can form a company group (virksomhedsgruppe/IDA club) or and academic club (akademikerklub).

The difference between the two types of organisations is that a company group consists of only IDA members while an academic club consists of members from all the trade unions for academics – such as IDA, DJØF, DM or PharmaDanmark.

The most appropriate type of group to create varies from workplace to workplace. Some workplaces primarily employ engineers/MScs and not other academics, so it makes sense to create a company group. Other companies have a more even distribution of academics, so it may be best to create a joint club with other academics.

You can find the standard statutes for company groups and academic clubs below:

• Statutes for academic clubs (in English)
• Statutes for company groups (in English)
• Statutes for academic clubs (in Danish)
• Statutes for company groups (in Danish)

What does a company group or academic group do?

A company group or academic club is what its members make of it. The union representative continues to act as a spokesperson for the employees and can present recommendations, suggestions and complaints to management. The union representative is responsible for local negotiation tasks and participates in various co-operation forums. The group can support the union representative in their work, for example by producing newsletters, organising networking events, etc.

There is no set list for the level of activity. It must be tailored to the ambitions and possibilities of the members, but IDA can help define possible areas of co-operation and tasks and support the practical work.

However, the simplest definition is that a company group or academic club represents members to management and is the link between IDA and members in the workplace.

Guide: Organise at work 

1. Get started with IDA's support

IDA is always happy to help you start organising at your workplace, and we would be happy to visit you and tell you more about the possibilities at an information meeting.

You are also welcome to contact us for a non-committal conversation about your specific opportunities for local organising. You can contact business consultant Marie Schmidt Sørensen on msn@ida.dk or 33 18 47 10.

If you decide to get organised, IDA will help with everything from setting up to the daily support.

2. Get collegial support

If you would like local organisation at your workplace, either in the form of a company group or an academic club, you can - in collaboration with IDA - organise an information meeting or an actual general meeting. IDA is happy to help you send out invitations to IDA members at the company.

The information meeting will typically consist of presentations from one or more people who want to organise. In addition, a consultant from IDA will be happy to attend and talk about the rules and rights that apply to privately employed union representatives and how IDA can support the work both before and after the organisation with tools, training and, in some cases, financial support.

3. Hold a founding general meeting

If there is support for local organisation, a founding general meeting can either be held in continuation of the information meeting, or a general meeting can be called once it has been clarified whether there is support for forming a company group (VG) or an academic club (AK).

It is a good idea to post an invitation on your company intranet if you can, and generally spread the word among your colleagues and management, for example via HR.

4. The board is constituted

After a successful general meeting, the newly elected board must meet within a week and be constituted with elections for chairperson and vice chairperson. IDA has standard statutes for academic clubs and company groups, respectively, that you can use as a starting point (see links above).

The number of board members depends on how many employees the company has. If there are fewer than 10 employees, a chairperson is sufficient. If there are more than 10 employees, there must be a minimum of 3 ordinary members and a maximum of the same number of deputies as ordinary members.

5. Register your group/club

When the board is constituted, it must be reported to IDA or another servicing organisation.

If it is an academic club and the board consists of members from several professional organisations, it must be reported to the respective organisations, which then report the elected representatives to the company. If an academic club has been established, it is typically the organisation that represents the most members that provides the service.

If it is a company group/IDA club, it must always be reported to IDA.

The board is assigned a permanent legal contact person, who the chairperson and vice chairperson can contact about specific issues in the workplace.

Your legal contact at IDA can provide advice and sparring within employment law, labour law, pay and negotiation in general. The contact person can also help you get in touch with other IDA colleagues to discuss networks, local events and much more.

Get support from IDA

• IDA offers financial support for organising general meetings, as well as other events.
• View tools, statistics and calculators for elected representatives (in Danish)
• Take a union representative training programme: With IDA's union representative training, you ensure that you are best equipped for the role. This can include board training, salary negotiation courses and much more.