Sweden - New agreement for health and social care workers - November 30, 2025

Trade unions Vårdförbundet, Vision, Kommunal and Akademikerförbundet have signed a new collective agreement with employers, Arbetsgivaralliansen, that will take effect from 2026. It will apply to roughly 6,000 workers in the non-profit health and social care sector and aims to strengthen care recruitment and retention over the long term. The agreement includes a reduction of working hours by granting an additional paid day off per year. Pay raises are aligned with industry benchmarks, amounting to 3.4% in 2025, and 3% in 2026. The pay review process has been made more transparent through a clearer timeline and stronger manager accountability.

Read on: in English… Read on: in Swedish…

For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu.
You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.