The updated employment reform entails consequences for the shipping companies, which as employers no longer receive the same assistance from the municipalities. UFDS is ready with the necessary professional assistance and support for shipping companies.
Administrative changes are underway in the Danish labor market, where the new version of the employment reform (in Danish) will, according to the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR), be the greatest simplification and de-bureaucratization of employment efforts ever.
The purpose of the initiative is still to ensure that as many people as possible have a job and that companies can get qualified labor. According to STAR, the agreement on an employment reform will be implemented in two phases, with the first coming into force on 1 February 2026, followed by some changes on 1 July this year.
The reform will greatly affect Danish companies as employers, including shipping companies, which will have to get used to a new framework for cooperation with the public sector. Health professional consultant and social worker at the Danish Shipowners’ Accident Insurance Association, Britt Saaby, provides an overview.
»The general issue that shipping companies should be aware of is that people who are on sick leave or absent from work, but still have an employer, change their status in the employment legislation. This means that it is no longer considered a municipal obligation to follow up on sick leave. And that's new,« she explains.
In other words, there is no longer an automatic setup at the municipalities for the job center to establish a follow-up effort when an employer has an employee who is on sick leave. This is a matter that the shipping companies must be aware of, Britt Saaby emphasizes. She therefore recommends that the shipping companies themselves maintain an ongoing dialogue with the individual employee.
Make sure to report
Another consequence of the new employment reform is that within four weeks of an accident leading to employee absence, the employer is obliged to set up a statutory interview with the injured party. And this is regardless of whether the employee had to go home for a few hours or has been on sick leave for several months.
During said interview, it must be clarified how long the employee can be expected to be absent, what the possibilities for return look like, and how the employer can contribute to the process.
»That's why it also remains to be really important that you as an employer make sure to report that you have an employee out on sick leave. There is nothing new in this, and the existing system for that purpose has not been changed, but it is an area where there is room for improvement,« Britt Saaby says.
In case of a longer period of absence, a failure to report may lead to the job center not being aware of the injured party's situation. It is also important to report sick leave for newly hired employees – typically less than three months of employment – because there are some special requirements in relation to sickness benefit legislation with the number of hours you must meet.
In this connection, Britt Saaby points to the special rules in the area that are in play in relation to what an employer can and may know in a given case. For example, the employer does not have the right to know what is wrong with the employee, but on the other hand has the right to know when and to what extent the employee is expected to be able to resume work.
Social worker Britt Saaby advises shipping companies to become even sharper at reporting sick leave from employees.
Use a municipal fast-track scheme
With the updated employment reform, the contact between the municipality and the job center on the one hand, and the employer and the injured person on the other, will thus be somewhat more limited. Between the 8th week of absence and all the way up to and including the 22nd week of absence, the dialogue may actually be completely absent, which is a new circumstance the effect of which is yet to be seen.
»If an injured person announces that he or she expects to return to work fully within six months, then no one from the municipality will contact them at all. And you have to be aware of that as an employer,« Britt Saaby says.
Based on the rule changes, Britt Saaby encourages shipping companies to continuously keep in touch with an injured employee, allowing the employer an updated picture of whether the person is returning to work or not.
»To this end, I would strongly appeal to the companies to report via the fast-track scheme that exists in all municipalities if they are worried about whether the employee can return. Because it can be difficult to know when you're ready,« she says.
UFDS would like to assist shipping companies and seafarers alike in this process, states Britt Saaby, not hesitating to recommend either side to reach out if assistance is needed.
