funktionærloven

Funktionærloven, or the Danish Salaried Employees Act, is a cornerstone of Danish employment law that governs terms for employees classified as functionærer. The Act sets minimum standards for employment conditions for salaried staff and establishes protections against arbitrary dismissal. It defines who is covered: most clerical, administrative, technical, and professional employees on a salary basis, while most manual workers are outside its scope unless they are covered by a collective agreement. The law operates alongside a system of collective agreements, which can extend or improve the protections provided.

The central provisions concern termination of employment. The Act requires that dismissals be based on objective justification and that the employer provides written notice; the length of the notice period depends on the employee’s length of service. The law also provides rules regarding probationary periods and certain procedural safeguards, and it creates a framework for the orderly conduct of termination, including opportunities for the employee to respond to the employer’s reasons.

The Funktionærloven interacts with other Danish employment and social legislation, including collective agreements and the Holidays Act, maternity protection, and general working conditions. In practice, many terms for functionærer are defined by collective agreements that sit alongside the Act; when such agreements exist, they may offer more favorable terms, but they cannot undercut the core protections of the Act.

The Act has undergone numerous amendments and remains a key reference point for employee rights and employer obligations in Denmark. The current consolidated text is published by the Danish government and the official legal database.