Data from 2025 reveals a significant milestone for the Danish transport sector: 30,606 drivers are now covered by collective agreements with the ETF affiliate, 3F Transport. This represents a 30.5% increase since 2015, since the low point reached ten years ago. There are four key reasons for this positive development:
1. The Impact of the EU Mobility Package
A central factor in this development has been the implementation of the EU Mobility Package. The ETF and its affiliates, including 3F, spent years lobbying in Brussels for these reforms to ensure a fairer playing field across the single market.
Since the rules took full effect in 2022, the package has provided the legal tools necessary to curb social dumping:
- Wage Parity: Foreign drivers must now be paid according to the wage levels of the country where the transport takes place.
- Operational Limits: New restrictions on cabotage prevent systematic illegal haulage.
- Enhanced Enforcement: Increased cooperation between national authorities has made it more difficult for “letterbox companies” to bypass social standards.
For the Danish market, these European rules have served as a foundation, enabling national collective bargaining to regain strength.
2. National Enforcement: Targeted political work led to a tenfold increase in funding for Danish authorities to monitor road transport, ensuring that legislation is backed by actual inspections and fines.
3. Systematic Organising: Through the OK-gods and OK-lager projects, 3F Transport has systematically approached companies since 2016, resulting in collective agreements with over 1,330 additional transport and logistics firms.
4. Market Awareness and CSR: Persistent media documentation of working conditions has shifted industry attitudes. Transport buyers are now more likely to include social responsibility and collective agreement compliance in their procurement contracts.
A Model for the European Sector
The Danish case demonstrates that high union coverage and fair competition can be restored through a combination of strong local organising and robust European regulation. While national contexts vary across the EU, Denmark’s success highlights the practical value of the Mobility Package when combined with strong implementation efforts to bring companies into the scope of collective bargaining.
