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Annie Lööf (C), cheerful and cheerful, commented on the agreement between the Confederation of Swedish Companies, PTK and the two largest unions in LO. A historic agreement, of the same dignity as the Saltsjöbad Agreement, was its conclusion. And of course the C-leader has reason to be satisfied. Changes in labor law were the most important demands of the Center Party to free Stefan Löfven as Prime Minister.
Only on the second attempt at government negotiations after the 2018 elections, when after tough negotiations the wording was agreed that LAS should be changed by “clearly extended exceptions to the priority rules”, Löfven received the green light from his new partner. across the border of the block.
The method – threatening the social partners with legislation if they disagree – has been severely cut off by a united trade union movement.
– Ultimately, it is the Center Party and the liberals who broke this negotiation by pushing forward the LAS investigation, declared LO president Susanna Gideonsson when the parties’ negotiations stalled in early October.
Talking quietly about concessions
But now, almost two years after the January agreement was printed, the method appears to have worked. It is no wonder that the Center Party sees it as its most important success. That they don’t like the concessions that IF Metall and Kommunal have gone through very much, they speak calmly of a day like this.
For Stefan Löfven (S), today’s announcement means that he can breathe a sigh of relief. The Left Party’s threat of a vote of no confidence on labor law can hardly be realized when such a large part of the LO members have supported the party’s agreement. Especially when it comes to Kommunal, whose members the Left Party always claims to defend.
Here, the newly formed party leader Nooshi Dadgostar is simply falling behind on an issue that has been crucial to strengthening the party’s position in the LO collective. What else can you do but welcome the changes that Kommunal has undergone?
The biggest change in job protection in decades
That LO is divided is the icing on the cake for Stefan Löfven. Of course, it would have been better for the Social Democrats if LO had come together centrally. And it should not be ruled out that this is how the drama ends. Staying on the sidelines when the labor market legislation of the future is going to be crafted probably hurts a bit in LO’s guarantee. Even more likely, more unions will join on their own first. The closest are Handels and HRF. There are several parts of the deal that should appeal to its members, in particular the ability to develop skills for fixed-term employees.
Today’s announcement also means that the January parties will not have to fight each other over possible changes to the agreement to appease LO. Otherwise, it could have been a very difficult bone to break during the legislative process.
Today’s agreement will be of great importance to the Swedish labor market. It’s the biggest change in job protection in decades. In addition, there is a restructuring and skills development package that costs the Treasury just over 9 billion.
But if December 4, 2020 becomes an equally historic date as December 20, 1938, when the Saltsjöbad agreement was signed, it is written in the stars.
