Sweden’s social partners are readying themselves to negotiate new collective agreements for most of the sectors at the start of 2020. Caution hangs in the air because even if the government is being headed by a Social-Democrat PM, Stefan Löfven, who had led the IF Metall union, the fact is that it is a ruling coalition including both the Liberal Party and the Centre Party, and as such LO union president Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson is wary that this new government’s policy will only deepen inequalities and worsen industrial relations.
At confederal level, and after collaboration with its own members and other confederations, LO, the primary union confederation has just formulated a set of joint demands that includes:
- A 3% increase in salaries,
- An extra SEK 783 (€75) (at least) per month for those on low salaries (€2,500 gross per month),
- An improvement in conventional pensions,
- Stronger protection again sexual harassment,
- Greater opportunities for those struggling in the labor market.
This represents a general framework of recommendations because the real negotiations take place at branch level before deployment through to company level.
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