Sweden: If Metall and Teknikarbetsgivare sign new deal on working time cut in case of a crisis in addition to the future short-time working system

Inspired from the ‘crisis agreements’ signed in 2009, a bill on the “kortidsaerbete med statligt stöd” (working time cut with State support) is going to be debated in Parliament soon.  However, the If Metall (metalworkers’ union) wanted to negotiate an additional agreement entitled “kortidsarbete utan statligt stöd” (working time cut without State support) together with Teknikarbetsgivare (association of technological firms) in order to confirm unions’ role at local level when the conditions to be covered by the future short-time working system aren’t met.  This agreement allegedly covers about 110,000 employees.  (Ref.  130738)
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Grounds for a second agreement. It is in a very difficult economic context that the If Metall union and Teknikarbetsgivare employers’ organization negotiated, in 2009, a collective agreement providing for a working time cut in exchange for job security. This agreement was called “krisavtal” – crisis agreement (see article No. 091068). The government has included this system in a bill that is soon going to be debated in Parliament, and provides for State financial support. It will be implem

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