Salary negotiation procedures for staff
Salary at DTU
For the overwhelming majority of staff and managers at DTU, salary is composed as follows:
Base salary +
Any job-specific supplement +
Any additional supplement(s) +
Pension contribution
= Total salary
The base salary figure is arrived at as follows:
- It is stipulated in the collective agreement under which the staff member is employed and where there is a fixed base salary for the position concerned
- It is determined by the staff member’s seniority (which can be increased by agreement)
- It is agreed, typically between a given minimum and maximum amount
Job-specific supplements are stipulated in the collective agreement (e.g. for scientific staff and academic officers) and are not subject to negotiation.
Additional supplements must be negotiated in accordance with the agreed DTU salary structures.
The size of the pension contribution is stipulated in the collective agreement.
The following additional supplements may be agreed:
Additional supplements are described in the DTU salary structures. These supplements are:
- Qualifications supplement
- Function supplement
- One-time bonuses
- Recruitment supplement.
Parties to the salary negotiations
Salary supplements are negotiated between the union representative/trade union and the manager authorized to conduct salary negotiations, or, for some staff groups, directly between the staff member and the manager. This applies, for example, to staff members who are managers with people management responsibility, special advisers and senior executive officers, clerical staff in salary group 4, laboratory technicians in salary group 7.
Union representatives may also negotiate their own salary.
See a list of union representatives authorized to conduct negotiations.
If no local union representative has been elected, negotiations are conducted by the trade union on the staff’s behalf.
Managers with people management responsibility are authorized to conduct salary negotiations for their own staff if the senior manager of the unit chooses to delegate the salary negotiation.
Reasons for salary determination and review:
To ensure a good beginning at DTU, it is important that the employment process is in accordance with established practices and involves all relevant parties.
For technical/administrative staff and scientific staff on base salary, the following steps apply:
- The salary framework is discussed between the hiring manager and Corporate HR.
- The manager/HR offers the preferred candidate employment at DTU, provides information about the salary framework and refers to a subsequent dialogue on salary level and grading with the relevant union representative/trade union.
- The manager/HR sends an email to the relevant union representative/trade union with cc. to the new staff member. The following are attached to the email:
- Description of the stated salary framework
- DTU’s salary procedure
- DTU’s salary policy
- The relevant salary structure
- The new staff member’s CV
- The job advertisement (if possible)
- The union representative/trade union contacts the new staff member and advises the staff member based on DTU’s salary policy, etc. The union representative/trade union especially provides advice about the salary negotiations based on the salary level descriptions in the salary structure.
- On the basis of this dialogue and the determination of the new staff member’s wishes for salary level, the salary is negotiated between the union representative/trade union and the hiring manager/Corporate HR.
- If an agreement on salary, etc. can be entered into between the new staff member and the manager/Corporate HR, the union representative/trade union sends the approved agreement to Corporate HR by email.
- The new staff member will then receive his or her letter of appointment for signing as soon as possible.
Self-negotiators, including special advisers and senior executive officers, can conduct their own negotiation directly with the hiring manager after Corporate HR has provided information about the salary framework. In case of an external employment, the new staff member must be informed by the manager/Corporate HR about the possibility of involving the staff member’s union representative/trade union in the negotiations. After the negotiations have been concluded, Corporate HR will inform the relevant union representative/trade union about the appointment by email.
Appointments of scientific staff without supplement are not subject to negotiation with the relevant union representative/trade union. This applies to PhD students, research assistants and postdocs. If the staff member wants a negotiation, the staff member can contact the union representative/trade union before signing the contract. Corporate HR will inform the relevant union representative/trade union about the appointment by email.
Both in the event of significant changes to an existing position and a change of positions, the staff member’s grading under the collective agreement and his/her current salary will be reassessed in relation to the content of the new position.
If the parties (or one of them) find(s) that additional supplements are to be renegotiated, such negotiations may also be conducted outside the annual salary negotiation round.
If an improvement of qualifications (e.g. on completion of supplementary training or education) has significantly enhanced the staff member’s work performance, the manager and the staff member (and possibly the staff member’s union representative/trade union) may assess whether this should result in changes to the staff member’s salary.
If the parties (or one of them) find(s) that additional supplements are to be renegotiated, such negotiations may also be conducted outside the annual salary negotiation round.
During the year, staff members and managers can discuss their salary expectations during the year in talks to which either party can invite the other party. If the parties (or one of them) wish(es) additional supplements to be renegotiated, such negotiations may be conducted at the annual salary negotiation round.
- Towards the end of the year, the Cooperation and Joint Consultation Committee will discuss a framework announced by the Executive Board, as well as a schedule issued by HR within which the individual units (departments, centers and offices) can negotiate salary improvements , including additional supplements, based on the DTU salary structures. Corporate HR will concurrently prepare material and supporting tools for the annual salary negotiation round at DTU, which takes place in the period from January to June in accordance with the following procedure:
- All staff members will receive information about the schedule and process agreed in the Cooperation and Joint Consultation Committee, including the deadline for submission of own nominations.
- Corporate HR will send out process material, including the agreed schedule, salary data, and support tools, to units and union representatives, generally no later than three weeks before the deadline for submission of nominations.
- It is recommended that local collaboration committees (LSU) discuss the local processes and framework before the negotiations are commenced. Corporate HR and relevant union representatives who are not members of a local collaboration committee can preferably be involved in this discussion.
- Before commencement of negotiations between union representatives/trade unions and managers authorized to conduct negotiations, nominations are exchanged so that all submitted nominations are known by both parties before the start of the negotiations.
- Negotiations will subsequently be conducted between union representatives/trade unions and managers authorized to conduct negotiations.
- The negotiation results approved by the parties are sent to Corporate HR.
- Corporate HR processes the negotiation results administratively and submits these to the Executive Board for approval, including the results for professors and technical/administrative staff managers.
- Corporate HR informs heads of department and managers with people management responsibility that the negotiation results have been finally approved. Concurrently, the union representatives/trade unions are informed.
- Following this notification, staff members who have received a salary increase are informed thereof by the individual staff member’s negotiating manager or HR manager.
- Staff members who have nominated themselves for a salary increase, but who have not received the requested salary increase, are entitled to an oral explanation of the reason for this. This explanation must be given by the manager negotiating on behalf of the employee in question, unless otherwise agreed in connection with the salary negotiation.
- The allocated supplements and one-time bonuses take effect as from 1 April of the year in question.
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Reasons for allocation of supplements and one-time bonuses
When an agreement is entered into on the allocation of supplements, the reasons for the allocation form part of the agreement basis, and the manager and union representative/trade union must therefore agree on this.
If a staff member requests salary supplements and the request is rejected, the manager must state the specific reasons for the rejection in a constructive manner. The staff member can request a discussion with the manager about what will be required for the staff member to obtain any supplements or rise to the next grade in the salary structure.
Openness about the results
Units may discuss in the local collaboration committees whether the negotiation results should be published following the annual salary negotiation round, including the way in which the results can be published. Corporate HR does not assist in the practical performance of this.
Salary grading outside the framework of the DTU salary structures
Where, in exceptional cases, a salary is to be negotiated which cannot be contained within the current salary structure, this will require HR management/Executive Board approval. Corporate HR will ensure this process, including that the relevant union representative/trade union is informed.
Salary management
- Salary management is ensured through
- Annual setting of the ceiling for negotiations and the subsequent salary negotiation round
- Ongoing monitoring of salary trends
- Corporate HR’s routine involvement in salary grading
- The Executive Board’s approval of the salary gradings that fall outside the framework of the salary structure.
Tools for use in the salary work
- Up-to-date statistics on salary levels and salary trends at DTU
- Information to managers about salaries in their own unit
- Salary data extracts for managers and union representatives ahead of the salary negotiation round
- Corporate HR supports the salary work with feedback and assistance during negotiations, etc.