Challenge

During OK18 (the renegotiation of the labor market agreements) in the spring of 2018, Denmark was facing the challenge of a possible general strike. The different parties in the negotiations were debating several critical issues related to conditions, pay and the overall ideology of the Danish labor market.
 
More than a million public and private employees would be affected by the outcome of the negotiations, but in the case of a general strike, the majority of 5 million Danes would be affected. Will & Agency were asked to help and inspire the unions and the members in the effort to reach a valuable solution. 

Method

Will & Agency helped the participating trade unions develop a strategy that would unify a combined number of 1 million+ unionised voices in a joint effort that would seek to build understanding and sympathy for the employee side of the negotiations. In a collaborative effort with representatives from the participating unions, we developed a concept ‘En løsning for alle/A solution for everyone.’ The strategy behind the concept was intended to convince the Danish public that the unions were fighting for better conditions for every single Dane - not just their members. It was an effort to bring public opinion into the debate and not merely letting the agenda be driven by politicians and experts. We utilized mobile interviews, political engagement platforms and the combined forces of the outreach of the unions. 

Implementation

Will & Agency was part of the daily project team – assessing the negotiations as they progressed and adapting the approach to PR, media and content with a group of communication and marketing managers from a group of the participating unions.
 
The coordinated effort, the union's strong presence and overwhelming support from the general public helped the unions secure a series of goals regarding pay and conditions for the majority of the affected employees.