Your local

rights
in North
Denmark

AALBORG NRRESUNDBY EDITION

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 these
are your work rights:
You have the right to join a trade union. Your trade union
can assist you in case of disputes over pay and working
conditions
- but only if you are a member. Most employees in Den-
mark are members of a union. There are different trade
unions to choos from. Which union you can join will de-
pend on your job function. If you are a student, is almost
free to be a member.

If you lose your job in Denmark, you are entitled to

unemployment benefits. Unlike many other countries,
unemployment insurance is voluntary in Denmark. You
can take out an unemployment insurance policy from an
unemployment insurance fund known as an a-kasse. If
you are a student you can obtain a free unemployment
insurance, and once you have completed your studies you
are also entitled to unemployment benefits.

Employers have a legal obligation to obtain an employers

occupational accident insurance, which protects you in
case of accidents during work hours. Make sure that your
employer has a valid insurance.

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If you are a member of the trade union, then you can get
help to validate the legitimacy of your work contract in
order to avoid being exploited. Always take the work con-
tract to the union before you sign it. If you are in a con-
tract where you get paid under 90kr per hour, or you work
unpaid overtime, or you have terrible working conditions,
immediately contact your union representative.

A pregnant employee is entitled to absence from work from

4 weeks before the expected birth. After the child is
born, the mother is entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave
during which period the father may take 2 weeks paterni-
ty leave. Each childbirth gives the parents a legal right to
52 weeks maternity pay from the government.

The average working week in Denmark should not exceed

48 hours. However, is encouraged that it does not pass 36
hours.

Unjustified terminations may cause the employer to be-

come liable to pay compensation to the employee. Em-
ployee needs to be notified minimum 1 month before or
more depending on the contract.

Under Danish employment law, it is unlawful to discrimi-

nate on the basis of the following criteria: Gender, race,
color of skin, religion or religious belief, political belief,
sexual orientation, age, handicap, national, social or eth-
nic origin.

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 do you know
about your Citizens r

If you are not resident in Denmark, you can use your

driving license from your home country. If you take up
residence in Denmark, a driving license from an EU/EEA
country is valid in Denmark. If you take up residence in
Denmark, your vehicle must be registered with Danish
number plates within 14 days. Contact SKAT for further
information.

As a student and resident in Denmark you have access to

the Danish healthcare system where you are ensured a free
medical assistance during your stay.

You can obtain Danish citizenship without renouncing

your current citizenship. As a EU citizen, you qualify for
permanent residence after 5 years of continuous living.

As an international student or employee in Denmark you

can take Danish language lessons free of charge.

The largest Tenants Organization in Denmark is Lejernes

LO (LLO). The organization provides legal counselling in
housing and rent matters for its members.

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s rights:

If your residence is rented, you may receive housing ben-

efits from Udbetaling Danmark to help cover the cost of
the rent. There are a number of conditions that deter-
mine whether you can get housing benefits. It depends,
for example, on how much you pay in rent, how many chil-
dren and adults live there, and what the total income is
for all who live in the dwelling.

If you need legal aid with contracts or other issues regard-

ing renting a home, you can contact Legal Aid Aalborg or
Lejerens Jurist. If something gets broken on the proper-
ty, you have 2 weeks to announce the landlord, to avoid
paying for it at the end of the lease. You should read the
Danish Rent Act law to avoid losing your deposit at the
end of the lease.

You have the right to be part of your housing association,

which usually determines the level of monthly rent and
what improvements shall be done to the building.

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 these
are your political rights:

To vote and candidate for:

City Council
Region Council
European Parliament if you have:
EU-citizenship
Norwegian or Icelandic citizenship
Lived for 3 years in Denmark if you are from outside
EU

You also have the right to...

...start a political party/movement or join an
existing one.
...voice political opinions.
...influence decision-making.

You have the right to candidate/apply for

interest-based associations like:
Housing Associations
District Councils (Samrad)
Integration Council

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 and how
can you use them?

You can vote on:

21 November 2017 (City and Regional Council
elections)
June 2019 (European Parliament)
With a voting card, which you will receive in your
mailbox. It will contain the location where to go and
vote.
If you cannot vote on that specific date, then you
can vote earlier (start of October 2017) with your
yellow card, at any libraries in town or citizen service
YOU CAN VOICE
POLITICAL OPINIONS
BY SENDING SHORT
You can candidate if: ARGUMENTATIONS TO
DEBAT SECTION OF
A political party nominates you ANY NEWSPAPER

25 citizens sign to support you as independent

candidate

You can influence decision-making by:

Contacting the local politicians that represent
your area
Being present at the hearing meetings
organized by the municipality or region
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 W hat
does the Region North

Region Nordjylland is the highest authority in the North

Denmark region. It consists of 41 members of the Region-
al Council from different political parties. The Regional
Council sets the agenda (general perspective) on health,
employment, quality, growth and development.

The regional council convenes every month, with the ex-

ception of July. The ordinary meetings are open to the
public, which provides the opportunity of following the
political work. The meetings are also transmitted live on
our website.

H ealth C are sector R egional D evelopment

H ospitals T ourism & C ulture

P sychiatry N ature & E nviroment

F amily D octors B usiness & I nfrastructure

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Denmark Council do ?

The budget of the North Denmark Region is approx. 11,5

B DKK (1.54 B Euro). Over 90% is located in the Health
Care Sector.

The three main tasks of the region have their own financing
The Health Care is primarily financed by the state (approx. 80%)
but also by the municipalities.

Regional Development is financed with a block grant from the

state (75%) and municipal contributions.

The Social Services and Specialised Education is entirely fi-

nanced by municipal payments.

S ocial S ervices &

S pecialized E ducation

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 W hat
does the Aalborg City

Aalborg City Council is the municipalitys highest author-

ity and bears overall responsibility for the municipalitys
activities. It consists of 31 council members from eight
different political parties. The City Council designates a
mayor, two deputy mayors and six department leaders.

U rban & S patial

C ity E xecutive P l anning

F amily & S ocial

W elfare E mployment

E ducation E lderly &

D isabled

E nviroment & C ulture &

E nergy H ealth

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Council do ?

The units that are under the administration of the City

Council: Business Aalborg, Business Development, Plan-
ning & Development, Traffic & Roads, Park & Nature, Con-
struction & Digital Service, Jobcenter Aalborg, Social Of-
fice, Child & Family Office, Schools, Teaching & Pedagogy,
Elderly & Health, Disability Office, Environment & Energy
Planning, Aalborg Waste, Aalborg Libraries, Health Centre
Aalborg, Culture & Rural Districts & Leisure, Health Strat-
egy Team, Centre for Applied Municipal Health Research.

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 Why YOU should vote?

As YOU have already learned, in your pocket, stays the

right to vote for City Council, Regional Council and the
European Parliament in Denmark. The decision to use it
or not, affects YOU directly. If you want to be overlooked
and have no say in the way the local society functions,
then dont use it. However, if you want to improve your
life standard and to earn the respect of the other citizens,
then definitely use it.

The only way local politicians will speak for YOUR issues
in the City Council or Regional Council is if you vote. The
more people with the same issue vote, then the higher the
chance for that issue to be discussed and resolved. Voting
will make you visible to the decision-makers, whom will ac-
tually try to convince you to vote for them, in exchange of
various promises, that can make your life more enjoyable
in the local society.

Supporting one candidate, with hopes it will get elected,

can give you a direct voice in the highest decision-making
forums in North Denmark. The candidate you have voted
for, is responsible to always communicate with YOU during
the four-years mandate, and listen to YOUR concerns.

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Why do YOU have the right
to vote and candidate?

Council Directive 94/80/EC of 19 December 1994

(European Union) gives the right to vote and stand as a
candidate in municipal, regional and European elections
by citizens of the European Union residing in a Member
State of which they are not nationals. The directive en-
tered in force since 20 January 1995.

You can read here (in English) the Local and Regional
Government Elections Act in Denmark -

http://elections.oim.dk/media/10566/local-and-region-
al-government-elections-act.pdf

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 Candidates for the
City Council

L asse F rimand H elle

J ensen F rederiksen

S usanne R usz N iels J ensen

W yrt z

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 Candidates for the
Region Council

T homas H av N arcis G eorge

M atache

FACTS ABOUT AALBORG

155 nationalities live in Aalborg

2500 new people move into Aalborg every year

Almost 22000 non-Danish people live in Aalborg (Al-

most 10% of the whole population)

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 why social
democracy?

Social democracy is a political,

social and economic ideology
that supports economic and
social interventions to promote
social justice within the frame-
work of a capitalist economy,
and a policy regime involving a
commitment to representative
democracy, measures for income
redistribution, and regulation of
the economy in the general inter-
est and welfare state provisions.

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An elaborate social safety net in addition to
public services such as free education and
universal healthcare.

Strong property rights, contract enforcement,

and overall ease of doing business.
Public pension plans.

Low barriers to free trade. This is combined

with collective risk sharing (social programs,
labour market institutions) which has provided
a form of protection against the risks
associated with economic openness.

Little product market regulation.

A partnership between employers, trade unions

and the government, whereby these social
partners negotiate the terms to regulating the
workplace among themselves, rather than the
terms being imposed by law.

Public expenditure for health and education is

significantly higher in Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway in comparison to the OECD average.

The United Nations World Happiness Report

2013 shows that the happiest nations are
concentrated in Northern Europe. The Nordics
ranked highest on the metrics of real GDP
per capita, healthy life expectancy, having
someone to count on, perceived freedom to
make life choices, generosity and freedom
from corruption.

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 Nrresundby

FACTS ABOUT NRRESUNDBY

Nrresundby is statistically an independent city
with 22,478 inhabitants, despite its proximity to
Aalborg, as Nrresundby is a metropolitan area with
a total of 134,672 inhabitants.
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 Candidates for the
Region Council

This brochure has been sponsored by Socialdemokratiet

Nrresundby (Social Democrats in Nrresundby). Social
Democrats Nrresundby is the first local association of a
Danish political party to welcome English-speakers among
their ranks.
If you wish to become member, send a message to our
Facebook page
www.facebook.com/pg/socialdemokratietnorresundby
- And we will contact you back

Compiled by Narcis George Matache

Activist for equal rights between Danes and
Internationals and advocate for adoption
of English as second language in the local
society

Designed by Sanne Brouw Hyldahl

Graphic designer, Workaholic, Volunteer
E-mail: Sanne-hyldahl@hotmail.com
Facebook: Sanne Brouw Hyldahl

Designed by Anna Kinga Kiraly

Graphic designer
E-mail: annakingakiraly@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/kinga.design

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 The story of
Louis Pio
Louis Albert Franois Pio (18411894) was
one of the principal founders of the orga-
nized workers movement in Denmark, and
the principal founder of the Danish Social
Democratic Party. His heritage is a combi-
nation of immigrant (French) and Nordjyl-
land background.
The start that lead to the creation of the
welfare society in Denmark (one of the best
in the world) has been sparked by an immi-
grant descendent. This is a clear example
on how YOU can as well influence or make
a contribution to the local society. Not only
that YOU would make your life better, but
you could also leave your mark forever on
the Danish society.

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