Sweden - Sharply different views on collective bargaining round - January 27, 2010

January has marked the start of the new collective bargaining round, with about 80% of all sectoral and other multi-company agreements, covering 3.3 million employees, subject to renewal. Sharply different views on the likely outcomes prevail. LO, the blue-collar union confederation, is calling for wage increases of SEK 620 (Euro 59.50) per month for full-time employees. In contrast, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is resisting any change in the centralised wage rates, with any improvements confined to company level. The employers’ association also seeks greater flexibilisation, including a greater use of annualised hour arrangements.

English: http://www.expatica.com/nl/employment/employment_information/HR- ... 

This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter, which presents up-to-date information on collective bargaining developments across Europe. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2009. All rights reserved. The ETUI is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. The ETUI is financially supported by the European Community. The European Community is not responsible for any use made of the information contained in this news section.