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Politics

Employers sick of ‘political logic’

admin
June 13th, 2013


This article is more than 11 years old.

Party politics is preventing necessary reforms from being implemented, employers’ confederation says

The nation's employers have lashed out at the political infighting that prevents implementation of necessary reforms.

DA's criticism seems to be aimed directly at members of the Konservative (K) party, who blocked fast-track implementation of the recent school reform by refusing to agree to mandatory homework help in schools. Any deal without the support of Konservative means the changes would only become mandatory after the next parliamentary election, which will be held no later than 2015.

"It will be absolutely devastating for students, teachers, schools and councils if school reforms cannot begin next year," DA head Jørn Neergaard said.

Larsen said all of parliament's parties have signed off on extending teacher’s working hours and that a broad majority in parliament were behind the other parts of the reform package. 

“Any businessperson knows that major changes must be made at the same time," he said.

Larsen's statements come while the government, along with Venstre and Dansk Folkeparti, are trying to get Konservative to agree to the entire package now and not delay passage until after the next election.

Those parties announced yesterday that they are ready to back away from the mandatory homework help proposal if Konservative will help get reforms moving. They will instead make homework help voluntary.

Konservative has yet to respond to the olive branch from the other parties.

Jensen said that parliament should use any means at its disposal to implement school reforms immediately.

"We do not get involved in party politics, but it is their duty to find a solution,” he said. “’Political logic’ should not be allowed to stop necessary reforms.”


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”