Browse through brief employment and labor law updates from around the globe. Contact a Littler attorney for more information or view our global locations.

Beer Served by People Ages 15 to 18 Years

New Legislation Enacted

Author: Tina Reissmann, Partner — Labora Legal

The Danish Parliament voted to amend an act to make it possible for young people between 15 and 18 years of age to work at places where alcohol is served. Under certain conditions it is now possible for young people to serve beer. The amendment also allows people 21 to 25 years of age to be the holder of an alcohol serving permit. The change to the Danish Restaurant Act is made to promote the growing tourism in Denmark.

Summary Dismissal Justified Over Facebook Comment

Precedential Decision by Judiciary or Regulatory Agency

Author: Tina Reissmann, Partner — Labora Legal

The western high court in Demark justified the summary dismissal of a travel agent after he made disloyal comments about his agency on Facebook, in response to an article that discussed a sexual harassment case on one of the agency’s hotels. The agent commented that a similar situation had occurred before and made disparaging remarks. The court found that his comment was of such a disloyal character that the summary dismissal from the travel agency was justified.

Compensation for Discriminatory Rejection Letter

Precedential Decision by Judiciary or Regulatory Agency

Author: Tina Reissmann, Partner — Labora Legal

The Danish Board of Equal Treatment held that the wording of a rejection letter could be of a discriminatory tone. A Danish person who had been living his whole life in Denmark with an Arabic-sounding name applied for the job, and seemingly was qualified for the job. He was rejected with the comment that the company looked for “a Danish employee.” He was given 25.000 DKK (3.350 EUR) in compensation.

No Compensation for Careless Carpenter

Precedential Decision by Judiciary or Regulatory Agency

Author: Tina Reissmann, Partner — Labora Legal

The western high court in Denmark ruled that a carpenter was not entitled to compensation for being particularly careless during his work. According to the Danish Working Environment Act, employers must ensure safe working conditions. However, the employee’s negligent behavior while performing a simple job exempted him from compensation under the Act.

Draft to Implement EU´s Data Protection Bill

Proposed Bill or Initiative

Author: Tina Reissmann, Partner — Labora Legal

The Danish Ministry of Justice published a draft bill to incorporate the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into Danish legislation, which will be considered by the Danish Parliament. The bill proposes how the data protection regulation should be understood and implemented in Denmark. The GDPR will become effective in May 2018.