FTF – Confederation of Professionals in Denmark (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

: ''FTF'') was founded in 1952 and was one of the three national trade union centers, with about 80

trade unions affiliated.

History

The FTF was founded in 1952. At the time, the major Danish trade union centre was the

Danish Confederation of Trade Unions LO, The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Danish: ''LO, Landsorganisationen i Danmark'' or simply ''LO'') was founded in 1898 and was an umbrella organisation (the largest of the three national trade union centers in Denmark) for 18 Danish tra ...

(LO), which was affiliated to the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

. Many clerical unions objected to this affiliation, and founded the FTF as an unaffiliated rival. Over time, fierce rivalry with the LO turned to co-operation, and the federation also worked with the

Danish Confederation of Professional Associations Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

(AC). By 2009, the FTF had a membership of 450,000. From 2015, FTF engaged in negotiations with LO about a potential merger. This occurred on 1 January 2019, and the LO became part of the new Danish Trade Union Confederation (FH). However, the federation's largest affiliate, the Finance Federation, along with the Danish Physiotherapists, and the Association of Designers, voted against joining FH, and instead became independent. The FTF was affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the

European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European Union, European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European ...

, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS).

Membership

Members of the 86 trade unions of the FTF were typically

employee Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...

s with a higher education and an

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

(e.g. a bachelor's degree or a master's degree) or a first professional degree. Some members didn't have a higher education but a vocational education (" white-collar workers"). A typical FTF-member occupies a middle or upper middle position in society as regards salary and

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

benefits. Many FTF-members were leaders. FTF-members were e.g. pharmaconomists, journalists, medical laboratory scientists, teachers, bank employees,

physical therapists Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

s, actors, dental hygienists, police officers, podiatrists, engineers, nurses, stage directors,

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

ers,

radiographers Radiographers, also known as radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Radiog ...

etc.

Affiliates

Presidents

:1970: Jens Christensen :1977:

Kirsten Stallknecht Kirsten Stallknecht (1937 – 4 May 2021) was a Danish nurse who served as President of the International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was fou ...

:1984: Martin Rømer :1988: Anker Christoffersen :2003: Bente Sorgenfrey

External links

FTF's Official Website (in Danish)FTF's Official Website (in English)

References

International Trade Union Confederation European Trade Union Confederation Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD Council of Nordic Trade Unions Trade unions established in 1952 Trade unions disestablished in 2018 {{Denmark-org-stub