Electrician, welcome to Denmark!

In Denmark you must have an employment contract containing:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• CPR/CVR-number
• Type of pay – hourly or piecework
• Date of commencement
• Info regarding collective agreement

The employment contract must be signed in two copies by your employer and yourself.

Your salary should be composed of the minimum wage based on the collective agreement plus a supplement negotiated locally. In Denmark the minimum wage does not mean it is the minimum wage you may receive. On the contrary it is the lowest possible basis upon which a further amount should be paid based on local negotiations between your employer and the shop steward or the local branch of the Danish Union of Electricians.

You can click on the link below to see the level of salaries in the area you work in:

Average local wages 

Each employee working for a company covered by a collective agreement must receive a payslip at every payroll. The payslip must include information about hourly pay, working hours, overtime pay, holiday pay, sick pay, pensions pay and compensation for loss of earnings on public holidays.

If you see “on-account amount” on your payslip, you must check whether it corresponds to the amount that has actually been paid to you. 

Working hours are normally fixed at 37 hours per week and must be between 06:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Friday. Other working hours must be agreed in writing between employee and employer. It is important to keep a record of how many hours and where you work. Write it down in a calendar or keep a copy of the weekly timesheet you submit to your employer. 

If you work more than 37 hours a week or on the weekend, you are normally entitled to extra payment in addition to your hourly pay. Typically, you get +50% payment the first three hours of overtime and +100% for the rest. Remember that you must receive payment for ALL the hours you work. If you have made special working agreements with your employer with more than 37 hours a week, it is a good idea to have them (agreements) checked by the local branch of the Danish Union of Electricians.

If your employer is a member of an employer’s organization or is covered by an accession agreement you are covered by a pension scheme. The total contribution is in most cases 12 % of your total monthly pay, of which you must pay 4 % yourself, while the rest is paid by your employer.

Many pension funds offer a healthcare scheme which means you may have access to free treatments such as massage or physiotherapy. There is also a range of insurances associated with you pension e.g. in case of your death or critical illness.

The local branch of the Danish Union for Electricians can inform you about the rules for your company and collective agreement.

Holiday According to Danish law you are entitled to 25 holidays with allowance every year. The allowance is equivalent to 12.5% of your pay. You will earn 2,08 days per month, and holidays can be held from September 1 until December 31 in the following year. The collective agreements grant you additionally 1 week (the 6. holiday week). You are entitled to 15 consecutive days of holiday (3 weeks) in the period from May 1 until September 30.