Multi-employer bargaining in Denmark: Interwoven processes of coordination

In response to a renewed focus on multi-employer bargaining in policy recommendations and policymaking, this article analyses and discusses coordination in the Danish multi-employer bargaining system. Focusing on two main dimensions of coordination – horizontal, between various key actors at a centralized national level, and vertical, between national and local actors – I find that several interwoven processes of coordination strengthen the multi-employer bargaining system, offering potential benefits for both employers and employees. However, it takes considerable resources to be part of a highly coordinated multi-employer bargaining system and to harvest the benefits. Accordingly, various capacities among key actors are decisive for a well-functioning multi-employer bargaining system.