Sweden - One extra day off for million workers - January 31, 2026

Around one million white-collar workers in the private sector will get a paid extra day off per year from 1 January 2026 through new rules on reduced working hours in several collective agreements. According to Unionen trade union, part of the space that would otherwise have gone to pay increases has been used to finance the day off. Unionen states that the extra day off is financed by setting aside 0.5% of the salary space for this. When the day off can be taken, the employer and the employee must agree – but it is the employer who ultimately decides which day it will be.

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.