Ministry may face compensation claims in Glasir dismissal case in Denmark

The Ministry of Children and Education must take responsibility and compensate the dismissed education manager at Glasir, Elsa Maria Holm Olsen, if they do not change their decision, according to Gunn Ellefsen, the lawyer representing Una Joensen, the principal.

Ellefsen estimates that the compensation claim could exceed one million Danish krone.

Glasir is not part of the dispute regarding the dismissal of Holm Olsen, who served as the education manager, and is therefore only required to follow the directive from the Ministry. This is stated by Jógvan Elias Winther Poulsen, Holm Olsen’s lawyer, in his latest correspondence on the matter. He references an independent report prepared by Christian Andreasen that confirmed Glasir’s lack of direct involvement in the case.

However, Glasir will be responsible for compensating Holm Olsen if the decision is upheld, despite the institution’s reluctance to do so, given that the ministry has made a mistake.

The dispute over the dismissal has been ongoing for more than a year, with compensation calculations starting from September 1, 2023. According to Holm Olsen’s attorney, the amount claimed is approximately 741,467 kroner from September 2023 to July of this year, totaling 67,406 kroner per month plus pension.

If the education manager is reinstated, the total amount could rise to about 1.2 million kroner, as another notice period would need to be accounted for due to the termination of the position.

Ellefsen concluded that if the Ministry does not change its decision regarding the annulment of Holm Olsen’s dismissal, they must assume full responsibility, including discussing and potentially compensating her.