Sweden: trade unions and employers bodies indicate their expectations ahead of the 2016 round of negotiations

2016 is an important year for Sweden when 70% of collective agreements will come up for renegotiation. For several months now the different organizations have been preparing their arguments. What direction will their various demands take? With employers who are primarily looking to stem wage rises and promote their own companies’ or sector’s specificities, unions remain fractioned but are expected to show a united front during the negotiations.
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Unionen and LO demands reflect overall expectations. From the end of August 2015, Unionen (the trade union for professionals in the private sector) set out four topics that it intends to prioritize during the 2016 negotiations: working time, ‘flexpensions’, occupational equality, and realistic wage rises.

  • the working time topic looks to facilitate a balance between work and private life and ensure that employees are protected from stress related illnesses related to excessive work. Unionen is l
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