The Government, once more, cuts funds for the National Working Environment Authority. This has serious consequences for workers.
– It?s unheard of. The National Working Environment Authority should have been given more funds, not fewer, since both physical and mental attrition is on the rise. This is not okay! If we are all to stay longer on the labour market, we need working conditions that enable us to do so. It is a sad prospect for every worker that the government will not invest in health and safety at work and ensure a safe working environment without fear of occupational accidents and attrition, says LO-President, Lizette Risgaard.
The effort to combat social dumping is a profitable business
The government has allocated DKK 72m to the social dumping measures. However, this in no way enough considering the development in foreign labour and posted workers.
– The government should have made the measures permanent and allocated more funds. A large majority, 59 percent, of the population believe that the politicians should do more to fight social dumping, says Lizette Risgaard.
– Workers are concerned about this issue and politicians should take them seriously – because it is serious! We acknowledge that funds have been set aside for this purpose. However, they are not even sufficient for a years? work to combat social dumping and this simply isn?t good enough. Furthermore, we know that the measures to fight social dumping pay for themselves and are even profitable. For example, the efforts of the Danish tax authorities to find the foreign employers who failed to pay VAT from 2015-2016 generated a DKK 471m surplus for the state, says Lizette Risgaard.
Cuts to vocational schools
According to the budget, an additional DKK 170m will be set aside in 2018 for vocational schools. However, due to the reprioritization tax, the schools will be 100m short instead.
– Training and education are essential to a well-functioning future labour market. Nevertheless, this is what the government chooses to cut down on. Companies are, and have been for a while, calling for more skilled labour. The shortage of skilled labour will continue and will worsen. We therefore need to invest in training and education – not make cuts to it – as the government has chosen to do, says LO-President Lizette Risgaard.