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Facts about the Employers’ Association of Greenland (GA)

Since 1996 the GA has worked for the interests of the business community and it is the oldest and biggest employers’ association in Greenland today. Approximately 400 member enterprises employing around 5,500 workers within all trades located on land consolidates a central position in the labour market for the GA facing the political authorities.

GA has entire Greenland as a workplace with the clear objective to create the best possible framework for the business community. This entails that a membership with the GA is the key to direct influence on business development and gives access to a collegiate community, which gives strength.

GA is also a centre of active knowledge about the business community in Greenland. GA´s secretariat is always prepared to offer consultancy and guidance all year round. – Regardless, whether it concerns small practical matters or problems of a more demanding juridical or economical nature.

GA´s structure

Lines of Business

In terms of organisation the member enterprises are allocated to eight lines of businesses:

· The business of Building Craftsmen

· The business of Contractors, Production and Mineral Extraction

· The Trade business

· The businesses of Electricity & Plumbing

· The business of IT, Communication and Media

· The businesses of Service & Transportation

· The businesses of Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism

· The businesses of Fishery and Export

Each line of business is headed by a so-called business committee appointed by and among the members of each line of business. The chairman of the business committee automatically becomes a member of the board of the GA, which counts up to 14 board members.

Local Associations

Apart from the professional community, ensured by the business committee, there are 14 local associations that care for the local community.

The Board

In addition to the 8 line of business chairmen, the board consists of another 8 that are chosen by the meeting of delegates from the 4 municipalities (2 from each).

The board appoints a director that is, together with a secretariat consisting of six employees at current time, responsible for GA´s daily operations.

A modern united organisation

As a professional organisation the GA works in order to promote the best framework for the business community through leverage in the political system. This is done with the trade policy strategy of the GA as a starting point and in close dialogue with the public authorities. As an example, the GA is at the moment represented in up to 20 permanent councils, committees and boards set up by the Greenland Government, just as the GA is entitled to participate in hearings on preparatory legal work of the Greenland Government.

As a service organisation the GA provides daily juridical and economic counselling to its member companies, just as the GA compiles statistical information based on lines of businesses and guidelines to relevant legislation when needed. At the same time GA representatives in managements of the country’s vocational schools ensure that the vocational education and the continuous further education fulfil the needs of the business community.

As an employers’ association the GA is part of ensuring decent conditions on the labour market. This is done through a basic agreement and five collective agreements with the trade union SIK. The collective agreements cover the sector of building craftsmen and the likes, the commercial and clerical sector, the production sector and the transport & service trade sector. Similar collective and basic agreements covering banking in Greenland exist signed by the GA and the Financial Services’ Union in Denmark.

Member Benefits

The GA has a homepage is partly only accessible for members and gives access to relevant legislations, collective agreements, manageable guidelines and forms and at the same time contains a number of useful links. The homepage www.ga.gl is also used to provide the daily information. In addition, a membership of GA results in a number of financial benefits in various areas – partly through the member enterprises in Greenland, partly through GA’s partners in Denmark.

Partners outside Greenland

In order to ensure the optimum service and counselling for the member enterprises the GA has cooperation agreements with three Danish employers’ associations and professional organisations, viz. the Danish Construction Association, the Danish Chamber of Commerce and HORESTA, the employers’ association for hotels, restaurants and tourism.

Membership fee

A registration fee of DKK 1,000 is to be paid. Subsequently, an annual fee based on basic salaries and the pay roll will be charged on a quarterly basis. As of 1 January 2009 the membership fee amounts to the following:

Membership fees as of 1 January 2009

Basic quarterly membership fee

Pay roll based annual fee

Business

Annual pay roll up to 100,000

Annual pay roll from 100,000
to 500,000

Annual pay roll from
500,000 and above

Up to
500,000

Of the pay roll from 500,000 and above

Building craftsmen*

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.5%

Electricity and Plumbing *

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.5%

Contractors, Production and Mining of Minerals*

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.5%

Production*

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.5%

Basic quarterly membership fee

Pay roll based annual fee

Business

Annual pay roll up to 1,000,000

Annual pay roll from 1,000,000
to 2,000,000

Annual pay roll above 2,000,000

Up to
2,000,000

Above 2,000,000

Hotels, restaurants and tourism**

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.4%

Trade

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.4%

Service trade and transport

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.4%

IT, Communikation and Meda

1,000

1,500

1,500

0

0.4%

Business

Basic quarterly membership fee

Pay roll based annual fee

Small Trawlers

2,500

0.5%

Large Trawlers

6,250

0.5%

* Can obtain cheap membership of the Danish Construction Association

** The line of business covering Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism requires mandatory membership of HORESTA for a reduced membership fee.