The most important issue for us

The question of reduced working hours is high on the agenda for several trade unions. It is the most important issue for the members right now, says the chairman of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals, Sineva Ribero.

» Published: August 09 2024

The most important issue for us
Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

The Swedish Association of Health Professionals welcomes the Social Democrats' proposal for a 35-hour workweek.

I think it's great that politics understands the importance of reducing weekly working hours. The 40-hour workweek is outdated, says Ribero.

However, the goal of a 35-hour workweek by 2035 is too far away, according to the Swedish Association of Health Professionals.

Our groups cannot wait that long. We are already preparing for the 2025 collective bargaining round with this issue on the agenda. It is the most important issue for our members right now.

Critics believe that it will be difficult to manage staffing with shorter workweeks. That's the opposite, according to Ribero.

You need to take the cost of reducing weekly working hours into account in order to ensure competence supply – to provide the population with good healthcare and to create a good work environment.

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) also has a clear mandate from its congress to drive the issue of reduced working hours and will pursue the issue through collective bargaining, says LO Chairman Johan Lindholm.

"The burden increases"

Minister for Employment Johan Pehrson (The Liberals) fears that shorter working hours will lead to an increased workload:

"If you work less, you also get less done. You can't get away from that. More needs to be done to make it easier for families to balance work and leisure, but the Social Democrats' proposal risks resulting in the opposite. Reducing working hours in a situation where there is already a shortage of staff, not least in schools and healthcare, will lead to an increased burden on existing staff and make it harder for ordinary families to balance their lives", he says in a written comment.

Against the Swedish model

Mattias Dahl, Vice President of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, says that the proposal from the working group is wrong in method and substance – and goes against the Swedish model.

This model is based on the idea that it is the trade unions and employers who should come up with proposals, negotiate and agree on important issues on the labor market – such as working hours.

The work in different industries varies, where trade unions and employers need to be able to adapt and find solutions, according to Dahl.

Then to say that everyone should work in a certain way, with decrees from above, becomes wrong.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Latvia Secures 2.1 Billion Kronor
1 MIN READ

Latvia Secures 2.1 Billion Kronor Deal with Saab for Air Defense Systems

Renault Acquires Full Ownership of
1 MIN READ

Renault Acquires Full Ownership of Renault Nissan Automotive India

1,700 Jobs Saved as Northvolt
2 MIN READ

1,700 Jobs Saved as Northvolt Navigates Bankruptcy in Sweden

Swedish Pension Saver Loses Appeal
1 MIN READ

Swedish Pension Saver Loses Appeal in Falcon Funds Fraud Case

Huawei Reports First Quarterly Loss
1 MIN READ

Huawei Reports First Quarterly Loss in Years Following Sanctions

France Fines Apple 150 Million
1 MIN READ

France Fines Apple 150 Million Euros for Competition Violations

Maurel & Prom Shares Drop
1 MIN READ

Maurel & Prom Shares Drop 15 Percent After Venezuela License Revoked

Norwegian Oil Fund Invests 1.4
1 MIN READ

Norwegian Oil Fund Invests 1.4 Billion Euro in Offshore Wind Projects

Sweden's Wage Talks Reach Critical
1 MIN READ

Sweden's Wage Talks Reach Critical Stage as Deadline Looms

Sweden Leads Nordic Region in
1 MIN READ

Sweden Leads Nordic Region in Money Laundering, Report Finds

Swiss Varo Energy to Acquire
1 MIN READ

Swiss Varo Energy to Acquire Swedish Fuel Company Preem

German Inflation Drop Signals Potential
2 MIN READ

German Inflation Drop Signals Potential ECB Rate Cut in April

Half of Retrained Workers Shift
1 MIN READ

Half of Retrained Workers Shift to New Industries, CSN Reports

EQT-Backed Omega II Bids 54.9
1 MIN READ

EQT-Backed Omega II Bids 54.9 Billion Kronor for Fortnox

Food Prices Continue to Climb,
3 MIN READ

Food Prices Continue to Climb, but Major Increases May Be Over

Stockholm Stocks Slide as Trump's
2 MIN READ

Stockholm Stocks Slide as Trump's Tariff Plans Stir Markets

Tokyo Stocks Drop Sharply as
1 MIN READ

Tokyo Stocks Drop Sharply as Trump Tariffs Loom

Trump and Starmer Discuss Progress
1 MIN READ

Trump and Starmer Discuss Progress on US-UK Trade Deal

Håkan Samuelsson Returns as Volvo
2 MIN READ

Håkan Samuelsson Returns as Volvo Cars CEO to Drive Electric Future

Security Fund Reports Fewer Layoffs,
2 MIN READ

Security Fund Reports Fewer Layoffs, Sees Hope for Skilled Workers

South Korea, China, Japan Collaborate
1 MIN READ

South Korea, China, Japan Collaborate to Boost Free Trade

Trump's Diversity Order Faces Pushback
1 MIN READ

Trump's Diversity Order Faces Pushback from European Companies

Sweden Seeks to Shield Key
2 MIN READ

Sweden Seeks to Shield Key Goods from EU-US Tariff Clash

Weekend Push for New Industrial
2 MIN READ

Weekend Push for New Industrial Agreement as Deadline Looms

Swedes Opt for Europe as
3 MIN READ

Swedes Opt for Europe as US Travel Bookings Drop 30 Percent

Energy Efficiency Boosts Villa Prices
1 MIN READ

Energy Efficiency Boosts Villa Prices in Sweden's Real Estate Market

Elon Musk's XAI Acquires Platform
1 MIN READ

Elon Musk's XAI Acquires Platform X in Major Tech Move

Inflation Concerns Drag Down Wall
1 MIN READ

Inflation Concerns Drag Down Wall Street Indices

Sweden Seeks New Investors for
1 MIN READ

Sweden Seeks New Investors for Bankrupt Northvolt Battery Firm

US Inflation Surprises with Higher
1 MIN READ

US Inflation Surprises with Higher Than Expected February Rate

Li Ka-Shing Halts Sale of
1 MIN READ

Li Ka-Shing Halts Sale of Panama Canal Ports Amid Beijing Pressure

Princess Madeleine Addresses Criticism Over
2 MIN READ

Princess Madeleine Addresses Criticism Over New Skincare Venture

Stockholm Stocks Slide 4.5 Percent
1 MIN READ

Stockholm Stocks Slide 4.5 Percent in a Week as US Inflation Hits

French Inflation Dips Below Expectations,
1 MIN READ

French Inflation Dips Below Expectations, Impacting ECB Decisions

Cautious Consumer Spending Sees Slight
1 MIN READ

Cautious Consumer Spending Sees Slight Uptick in Sweden's Retail Sales

SSAB Faces Financial Supervisory Authority
1 MIN READ

SSAB Faces Financial Supervisory Authority Probe Over Reporting Rules

79,000 Swedes Face Student Debt
1 MIN READ

79,000 Swedes Face Student Debt with Enforcement Authority in 2024

Royal Expert Questions Princess Madeleine's
3 MIN READ

Royal Expert Questions Princess Madeleine's Skincare Venture

Gold Prices Reach New Heights
1 MIN READ

Gold Prices Reach New Heights as Trade Tariff Concerns Grow

Asian Markets Tumble as Investors
1 MIN READ

Asian Markets Tumble as Investors Brace for New US Tariffs