Towards a more inclusive labour market: lessons from Denmark

The chapter argues that Denmark offers important lessons for developing a critique of austerity and neoliberalism in the UK. The Danish model of coordinated collective bargaining, social redistribution and key role for trade unions in welfare policy are important features of an inclusive labour market. Investment in childcare is a crucial element in the way welfare supports access to employment. Denmark has forged progressive active labour market policies such as job rotation where the trade unions play a key role in assisting unemployed into employment which offers training and in work support.

Conclusions: progressive alternatives to austerity

There is another way and alternative to austerity. Despite the defeat of a Corbyn led (anti- austerity) Labour Party, there are conditions and opportunities for challenging neoliberalism and inequalities. Key to this is questioning the austerity narrative relating to the economy and public services. Alternative policies are assessed including for through collective bargaining, enhanced employment rights, a remodelled social security system which offers a adequate safety net and linking welfare to employment policies through job rotation. Democratising welfare and employment policy through local government is seen as central to a more inclusive agenda

Conceptualising austerity, welfare and employment relations

This chapter develops a framework for understanding the link between welfare and employment relations. This is followed by a more detailed analysis of austerity neoliberalism and uneven development. The trend towards increased social and geographical inequalities is assessed as directly related to changes in the distribution of power and income away from the working class. The chapter concludes by exploring the way this is contested by trade unions and social movements.

Introduction: the crisis and austerity neoliberalism

The chapter provides an overview of the key arguments and structure to the book. Of central importance is to understand austerity as a class strategy involving labour discipline through attacks on social protection and employment relations. Central to the book’s argument is the need to understand the geographical nature of labour inequalities and impacts of austerity cuts in the ‘left behind’ regions. The chapter highlights the way industrial relations and employment relations inter link as Work first policies undermine employment rights and reinforce labour market insecurity and inequality. The chapter briefly outlines the role of agency and the capacities of trade unions and social movements to negotiate and resist austerity are seen as crucial to an understanding of the contemporary welfare and employment crisis. The origins of the book is outlined, arising from previous comparative work on the Danish welfare and employment model which provides relevant lessons when discussing the link between labour and social movements and welfare regimes and alternatives to neoliberalism