Uffe Rostrup: The postponement is annoying, but a dispute would be worse

“It is really annoying”, says Chairman of the Teachers' Union for Danish Independent Schools Uffe Rostrup after the public conciliator Mette Christensen postponed the dispute for two weeks at approximately five a.m. this morning.

“And”, the chairman continues, “there is no doubt that it is draining and frustrating for the members that we will be kept in suspense for yet some time.”

But even if it is annoying, we must not forget that generally speaking it is really positive, says Uffe Rostrup:

“The alternative – an industrial dispute in the public sector – is even worse. So we must focus on the positive things. The public conciliator has postponed the dispute because she thinks that there is hope. Clearly, she thinks that it will be possible to reach an agreement through negotiations.”

Uffe Rostrup thinks that the enormous pressure that the negotiators have been under in the past weeks has made them move so much closer that it is now possible to come to agreement that all parties can identify with. And if that is the case, then it is really good news, Uffe Rostrup thinks:

“Reaching an agreement is the only way forward. Only at the negotiation table can we reach good and long-term solutions. Only when both parties take responsibility for the agreements will we get something that can be used in practice. So in that light, it is positive that the public conciliator postpones the dispute. Positive, but really annoying.”