Europarådet med alvorlig kritik af Danmark

Danmark får alvorlig kritik for loven om Dansk Internationalt Skibsregister (DIS)

Europarådet har konkluderet at DIS loven er i strid med Danmarks forpligtigelser efter socialpagten. Konklusioner om DIS-loven fra Europarådet er offentliggjort i marts 2023, Regeringen, der må antages at være bekendt med afgørelsen , har indtil videre ignoreret Europarådes konklusioner om DIS loven

Det er Komiteen til overvågning af Socialpagten som Danmark tiltrådte i 1965, der kritiserer Danmark for at danske fagforeninger inden for søfartsområdet er afskåret fra at overenskomstdække udenlandske søfolk, ligesom udenlandske søfolk er afskåret fra medlemskab af en dansk fagforening. Det strider mod Socialpagtens artikel 5 og 6. 

Det fremgår også at Komiteen ikke er tilfreds med manglende rapportering fra Danmark og skriver det er i strid med de forpligtelser Danmark har påtaget ved tiltrædelsen af Socialpagten. 

Henrik Berlau fra Tænketanken Fair Maritim udtaler i den anledning: ”Er SfS (Søfartsstyrelsen) blot en forlænget arm af Danske Rederier (DR) hvor andres borgerrettigheder er underordnet. De seneste mange måneder har budt på talrige betænkelige eksempler på, at styrelsen fungerer som bydreng af rederiernes ønsker, fra alt om mere statsstøtte, til at de tager ordet og taler på regeringens vegne i FN’s organisation for søfart IMO. Men også i denne sag viger SfS ikke tilbage for at modarbejde almene danske samfundsinteresser, blot det gavner den snævre kreds af rederier. Udover Socialpagten overtræder Danmark Den Europæiske Menneskerettigheds Erklæring (EMRK) artikel 11 om der ikke må ske indskrænkninger i rettigheder som frie fagforeninger og kollektive forhandlinger om løn og arbejdsvilkår. Dette er en sag for domstolene, slutter Henrik Berlau.

Også ILO kritiserer DIS.

Over de sidste 30 år, har FN’s Arbejdstagerorganisation ILO i sine årlige rapport over konventionsbrud, på alle måder tydeligt og pædagogisk, højt og umisforståeligt, diplomatisk og med bål og trommer også erklæret DIS for i strid med Danmarks forpligtelser i konvention 87 og 98. 

SfS, har af skiftende regeringer fået opgaven med at holde ILO stangen. Til det har SfS optrådt så udansk, som repræsenterer de en bananrepublik. Løgnen om DIS som redningsplanke for beskæftigelsen som SfS har stået for, dækker over manipulation med beskæftigelsestal, urigtige påstande om sagen er under behandling i hjemligt regi, støtte til bekostelige internationale møder til hvidvaskning af  DIS, hensynsløs dæmonisering af kritikere af DIS, selektiv udvælgelse af hvis meninger bliver inddraget i SfS synspunkter, taktiske undladelser af at besvare ILO henvendelser, for sent indleveringer af rapporter DIS sagen så den ikke kan behandles før året efter.  Ja, alt fra skuffen dirty tricks department, har været bragt i anvendelse”.

Hele rapporten der slutter med følgende konklusion;

The Committee concludes that the situation in Denmark is not in conformity with Article 5 of
the 1961 Charter on the ground that the legislation on the International Shipping Register
restricts the right of trade unions to bargain collectively on behalf of all their members.

Kan læses nedenfor;

——————————————————————————————————————————

March 2023

EUROPEAN SOCIAL CHARTER

European Committee of Social Rights
Conclusions XXII-3 (2022)

DENMARK

This text may be subject to editorial revision.

2

The function of the European Committee of Social Rights is to rule on the conformity of the
situation in States with the European Social Charter. In respect of national reports, it adopts
conclusions; in respect of collective complaints, it adopts decisions.
Information on the Charter, statements of interpretation, and general questions from the
Committee, are contained in the General Introduction to all Conclusions.
The following chapter concerns Denmark, which ratified the 1961 European Social Charter on
3 March 1965. The deadline for submitting the 41st report was 31 December 2021 and
Denmark submitted it on 10 November 2022.
Denmark submitted its report too late for examination. However, the Committee decided to
examine Denmark’s report relating to Articles 5 (right to organise) and 6§2 (right to bargain
collectively, negotiation procedures) due to the fact that a meeting had been held in March
2022 with the Danish authorities on the topic of the Danish International Shipping Register.
The reference period was from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2020.
The conclusions relating to Denmark concerning the two situations examined by the
Committee (Articles 5 and 6§2) are two conclusions of non-conformity.
The Committee considers that the failure to meet the deadline for submitting the report
amounts to a breach of the reporting obligation entered into by Denmark under the 1961
Charter.
The next report from Denmark will deal with the following provisions of the thematic group IV
“Children, families, migrants”:

• the right of children and young persons to protection (Article 7),

• the right of employed women to protection (Article 8),

• the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection (Article 16),

• the right of mothers and children to social and economic protection (Article 17),

• the right of migrant workers and their families to protection and assistance
  (Article 19).

The deadline for submitting that report was 31 December 2022.
Conclusions and reports are available at www.coe.int/socialcharter.

3

Article 5 – Right to organise
The Committee takes note of the information contained in the report submitted by Denmark,
as well as the information provided during and after the Committee’s meeting with
representatives of the Danish Maritime Authority that took place in Strasbourg on 22 March
2022 (in pursuance of Article 24§3 of the 1961 Charter as amended).
The Committee notes that for the purposes of this report, States have been asked to respond
to the specific targeted questions in relation to Article 5 of the Charter, as well as, where
applicable, to previous findings of non-conformity or deferrals (see the appendix to the letter
whereby the Committee requested a report on the implementation of the Charter in respect of
the provisions falling within the remit of the thematic group “Labour rights”).
In its previous conclusion, the Committee considered that the situation in Denmark was not in
conformity with Article 5 of the 1961 Charter on the ground that the legislation on the
International Ships Register provides that collective agreements on wages and working
conditions concluded by Danish trade unions are only applicable to seafarers resident in
Denmark (Conclusions XXI-3 (2018)).
The Committee has examined the situation regarding trade union rights (formation of trade
unions and employers’ organisations, freedom to join or not to join a trade union, trade union
activities, representativeness, and personal scope) in its previous conclusions. The
assessment of the Committee will therefore concern the information provided by the
Government in response to the conclusion of non-conformity and to the targeted questions.
Prevalence/Trade union density
The Committee asked in its targeted question for data on trade union membership prevalence
across the country and across sectors of activity.
The report notes that no data is available on trade union prevalence.
Personal scope
In its previous conclusion, the Committee considered that the situation in Denmark was not in
conformity with Article 5 of the 1961 Charter on the ground that the legislation on the Danish
International Ships Register provides that collective agreements on wages and working
conditions concluded by Danish trade unions are only applicable to seafarers resident in
Denmark (Conclusions XXI-3 (2018)). The Committee considers that the issues raised by this
conclusion of non-conformity are better addressed under the section on trade union activities
below.
Restrictions on the right to organise
In its targeted question, the Committee asked for information on public or private sector
activities in which workers are denied the right to form organisations for the protection of their
economic and social interests or to join such organisations.
The report notes that there are no activities in which workers are not allowed to unionise.
Trade union activities
Regarding its previous conclusion of non-conformity following from the restrictions on
collective bargaining rights resulting from Article 10 of Act No. 408/1988 on the Danish
International Shipping Register, the Committee refers to the Conclusion under Article 6§2 of
the Charter, which summarises the information contained in the report submitted by Denmark,
and the information provided during and after the Committee’s meeting with representatives
of the Danish Maritime Authority that took place in Strasbourg on 22 March 2022 (in pursuance
of Article 24§3 of the 1961 Charter as amended).

4

On that basis, the Committee notes that despite incremental improvements of safeguards in
respect of seafarers not residing in Denmark onboard of ships registered in the Register, the
fundamental facts that gave rise to the previous findings of non-conformity with Article 5 of the
1961 Charter remain unchanged. Namely, Article 10 of Act No. 408/1988 on the Danish
International Shipping Register continues to impair the right of Danish trade unions to
effectively protect the social and economic interests of members not residing in Denmark
working on board ships registered in the Danish International Shipping Register, by not
allowing them to engage in collective bargaining on their behalf. Consequently, the Committee
reiterates its previous finding of non-conformity.
Conclusion
The Committee concludes that the situation in Denmark is not in conformity with Article 5 of
the 1961 Charter on the ground that the legislation on the International Shipping Register
restricts the right of trade unions to bargain collectively on behalf of all their members.