English Translation

06 - 9 - to grant the workers a disappointing wage increase, after the decision had been announced, the suggestion for a change in the price bill was made, according to which it should be ordered that the agreed wage increase should not have any influence on future commodity prices and that only in exceptional cases in the interest of maintaining the production exceptions on the part of the authorities should be allowed. Last year, when an amendment to the price regulation was discussed under which the price authority was granted the power to stop price increases if a company or an industry could be expected to bear the increased costs itself, this amendment was not implemented because strong resistance from the economic circles was asserted. As a result, the price law had remained unchanged for one year in November 19943. Now, after the award had fallen, a new regulation was made under the impression of the increasing shortage of goods and wealth of money, on the one hand, and the wage decision taken at the expense of the less bode- ized strata of population on the other hand. However, the Danish central administration was unable to resolve the absolute price freeze proposed by the Conciliation Committee because of the concerns raised by the trade. The new regulation states that the price authorities may impose on the owners of an industry and also on individual companies to bear wage increases themselves, which have been in place since l.l.l943 in the future - provided that such an approach appears reasonable with regard to the profit ratios. It is therefore also possible to demand a price reduction if prices have already been increased by accounting for lower wage increases. Consequently, it is not in itself prohibited to raise prcise on the basis of wage rises.