Partly cloudy with a new industrial agreement – unions happy – Aftonbladet

After an unusually long and complicated negotiation is now a new “industry agreement”.

For the unions’ members, it means a wage increase of 2.2 percent.

the unions were very happy.

– It’s a fair and good contract, says Anders Ferbe, chairman of the IF Metall.

It was the last hour of the trade unions and workplace donors agreed on a new so-called Industrial Agreement. At a press conference in Stockholm on Thursday night announcement that the parties agreed to a contract involving a salary increase of 2.2 percent, of which 0.2 per cent is allocated to part-time pension.

The chairman of the five industrial unions – GS , IF Metall, Life, Graduate Engineers and the Union – was noticeably excited and elated to be able to leave this announcement.

– There is a reasonable and good agreement, which gives our members the opportunity for real wage increase over the next 12-month period. It provides an allocation to the strengthening of the contractual pension, says Anders Ferbe, Chair of the IF Metall.

In addition, the parties agreed to work for increased equality and work environment.

– It is important to improve gender equality, particularly in the industrial companies that are often male-dominated, says Anders Ferbe.

“the agreement is too expensive”

But the employers’ organizations were not as happy. During the press conference they stressed that it was far too strong wage growth and that they agreed to the agreement to avoid conflict.

– It’s too high a contract, says Marie Söderqvist, CEO of the trade and employers’ organization for food businesses .

She believes that the agreement will “erode Swedish competitiveness”. Marie Söderqvist says it’s one of the reasons that employers now just agreed to a one-year contract.

– The food industry is one of the world’s most competitive industries exposed. Any increase in costs in Sweden allows one runs the risk that companies choose to operate outside Sweden, she says.

On Monday, the employers’ organization Industrial Workers with a bid of 1.5 per cent wage increase over two years. It said industrial unions decided no to. Since then, negotiations have been going on until Thursday. The previous Industrial Agreement had expired at midnight if they had not agreed.

As the agreement only valid for 12 months it is time to sit down at the negotiating table again.

– We have to try to find common ground on how to put Swedish wage levels, says Marie Söderqvist.

Messy bargaining

It has been an unusually messy wage negotiations so far. LO has for the first time in many years not been able to get all 14 associations to conduct joint wage demands.

– There is of course a great failure for the trade and for me as chairman, said Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, LO President, earlier.

It is also messy in many other places, where the agreements expire shortly. Already, two LO unions, painters and construction, warned of strikes. Painting companies warned of so-called lockout, industrial action, where the employer exclude the employees from work.

Industrial normally affect the other unions bargaining. The salary level the Industrial lands on becomes namely a benchmark.