As part of its Autumn budget, the Swedish government has included measures that are clearly geared towards encouraging union membership and creating a greater balance between negotiating parties. For trade union organisations, the changes simply mark a return to the environment which existed before 2007, when the centre-right coalition (Alliansen) came to power.
Membership decline from 2007. Many observers view 2007 as the year when the development of trade unions and the balance of powers was brought to a halt, particularly owing to the decision by Fredrik Reinfeldt’s government to abolish tax deductions for union membership. The change caused the cost of membership to increase significantly. Combined with the increase in contributions to unemployment funds, many members decided to leave their unions for financial reasons. The move appeared all...
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