Within the Swedish Model peace rules - as long as there is an agreement. Unionen, as all Swedish unions, always strive to find agreement through negotiations with employer organisations. But sometimes the need to put in pressure arises. This is what it could mean to you.
“Being in conflict” refers to any of several actions that the union might undertake to secure its members terms and conditions. These measures are sanctioned under the constitution. The most common action is a strike.
Collective bargain agreements are jointly written between the employer organisations and trade unions and are time explicit, normally for 1-3 years.
Whenever a collective agreement expires, the employer organisations and trade unions renegotiate the terms and conditions that will apply to you at your workplace in the future.
If Unionen’s members in a given workplace want a collective agreement, the union may issue a dispute notice to an individual company. This may happen at any time and is not linked to the collective bargaining process.
Within the Swedish Model you can never go on strike in the period when a collective agreement is still in force.
In fact, the Swedish Model has proven to be remarkably peaceful compared to both our Scandinavian neighbours, like Finland, Norway and Denmark, as well as the rest of Europe. Only Switzerland has had fewer strike days since 2010, than Sweden.
A strike may be called if the two parties – the trade union and the employers’ organisation – fail to reach agreement in the negotiations.
Before members may strike, the trade union must send notice of a strike to the other party, which is the same thing as warning beforehand that there will be a strike within seven working days or more if there is a failure to reach agreement in the negotiations.
In the notice the trade union indicates what type of industrial action will be employed such as a strike or an overtime ban. The trade union must also indicate which workplaces and jobs are affected.
If your workplace is subject to a strike, you should halt any work for your employer. Halt all work throughout the course of the strike until you have received notification that the strike has ended.
A strike does not cost you anything. You will receive payment from Unionen just as you would have received salary if you had been working. That includes those of you who stay in Sweden with work permits, as long as you are employed at the workplace concerned and members in Unionen.
If your workplace and your role are affected by a strike notice, you will be contacted by Unionen, and the following will apply to you:
You can always contact somebody at Unionen if you have any questions. Your local Unionen representative will be found outside your workplace and at various assembly points each day for as long as a strike lasts.
You can find further information about what happens in the event of a conflict at this page.
On the Avtal 2023 site you can read about the issues Unionen is pursuing in the 2023 round of negotiations and why they are so important. (In Swedish.)
You’ll find news, the latest information and you can monitor what is happening in your industry in the negotiations with the employers.
