Nordische Gewerkschaften unter Druck. Der Angriff rechter Parteien auf das Gent-System in Schweden und Dänemark

The Nordic countries have long been considered a paradise for trade unions, having shown ability to stem the tide of union decline basically due to their Ghent systems of unemployment insurance. But over the last two decades, the Ghent effect seems to have lost some of its power as labour unions have no longer been spared from substantial membership losses. The article shows that well-directed legislative changes to the Ghent system introduced under right-wing governments contributed substantially to the decline in union membership in the two Scandinavian Ghent countries, Sweden and Denmark. While the deliberate erosion of the Ghent system substantially lowered union density in Sweden, the unions’ membership losses in Denmark partly resulted from decoupling unions from unemployment insurance. The reforms were especially disastrous for the blue-collar confederation LO. While the Swedish unions can rely on the help of the Swedish Social Democrats in “repairing” the Ghent system, the Danish unions will have to find other ways to attract workers.