Collective agreements

If you are a member, you can log in and find your collective agreement via Mina sidor (Swedish).

Ledarna and the agreements

Ledarna currently has negotiations in around 80 agreement areas, which means that we are a contracting party to these 80 agreements. We also have members in areas where we are not a direct contracting party. In these areas we monitor contract developments and try to become a contracting party.

Do we need collective agreements?

Yes, the agreements regulate and guarantee employees’ rights. Currently, 90 per cent of all employees are covered by collective agreements, which provides competitive neutrality. Employees are guaranteed insurance cover, benefits, remuneration agreements and more. The advantages of the Swedish model are that the rules have greater legitimacy. It is also easier to adapt and modify agreements by industry; the parties conclude agreements by industrial sector and thus have ownership of the matter. This promotes accountability and good relations between the parties. It also enables collective agreements to work as a tool.

General terms and conditions, and other agreements

Collective agreements consist of a number of contractual agreements, the general conditions of which regulate everything from the start of employment including working hours, holidays, sick pay, overtime compensation, parental pay, etc. to the end of employment including notice periods. In addition, there may be agreements on matters such as work environment, skills development, inventions and traineeships.

There are also agreements such as pension contracts, insurance and job security agreements that cover large groups of office workers.

Trade unions have focused on boosting members’ pensions through collective agreements. Nowadays, this contractual pension is a necessary complement to the state pension.

However, for the collective agreement and the contractual pension to apply, your workplace must have a collective agreement. Your employer is obliged to inform you in writing, no later than one month after the start of your employment, of the terms and conditions of that employment if it is intended to last longer than one month.

An employment contract contains what you and your employer have agreed in addition to what is regulated in collective agreements and employment legislation. This usually includes details of:

• The position
• Location
• Type of employment
• When you are to start
• What salary is to apply (and which year’s salary level)
• The amount of holiday to which you are entitled
• Which collective agreement applies
• Any other salary benefits

If you hold a CEO position, the Employment Protection Act does not apply. In that situation, it is particularly important to draw up an employment contract that also regulates what applies when the employment ends. On this page you find templates in English and Swedish.

Learn more: A brief introduction to the Swedish model and collective agreement