The agreement means a salary increase of 7.4 percent spread over two years. The first year yields 4.1 percent and the second 3.3 percent.
But what does that mean for the common man?
Sociology professor Lotta Stern, vice president and responsible for labor market research at the Business Research Institute Ratio, answers six questions.
What is the industrial agreement and why is it so important?
– It sets the so-called mark for wage formation. The mark shows how large wage increases the Swedish economy can withstand on average.
Does everyone get 4.1 percent this year, regardless of industry?
– No, but the vast majority stick to the mark even though it is not actually illegal to violate it. 4.1 tells where you can end up in roundabouts. Individually, you can get both more and less.
What is realistic to expect?
– Expect to end up somewhere between 3.8 and 4.3 percent. But it can look different, especially if you work at a small, start-up company without a collective agreement. But I would be surprised if there are any major deviations.
Can I take part in the increase if I am not a member of the union?
– If the company you work with has a collective agreement, then what the union and employer’s organization have negotiated applies to the entire company. It has nothing to do with union membership. However, it should be clear to you that the union only negotiates for its members. This does not automatically mean that you are negatively affected as a non-union member, but you need to have more control over what is going on around salary negotiations because the union will prioritize raising salaries mostly for its members.
There is talk of record salary increases this year. What does it mean?
– It is the highest increase since the agreement came into force in 1997. It sounds like a lot, but you will probably be disappointed if you think it means increased purchasing power. On the contrary, most of us will lose purchasing power.
What happens now?
– The industrial agreement is the starting point, now all other trade unions and employers’ organizations must also agree. It may take time, how long is hard to say. The process continues.
